Lights Shining in Darkness
by MaskedGhost2448
Summary: ON HIATUS! NOT CANCELED! Restart by the end of summer. Ash returns home from his journey in Unova to a welcome home party, thrown by some of his old friends and rivals. But while the reminiscing occurs, a storm brews and the legendary Lugia appears requesting Ash's help again, thus sparking another grand adventure. Contains PokeShipping, ContestShipping, IkariShipping, and others.
1. Reunion

A/N: This is my first fan fic ever so be gentile with the reviews. I got the idea for it after watching _Pokémon The Movie 2000: The Power of One_.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. If I did, Misty would have never left and would be Ash's girlfriend, all the characters would have aged slightly (4 – 6 years), and Iris and Cilan would have never been met.

Ages:

Ash – 16

Misty – 16

May – 15

Drew – 15

Paul – 14

Dawn – 14

* * *

Ash Ketchum, famous Pokémon trainer and future Pokémon Master, was on his way back home to Pallet Town. He had just gotten into Vermilion City only five days ago from leaving Castelia City in Unova, but was now on the outskirts of Pallet.

"Hey Pikachu, guess what's over the next hill?" Ash asked his faithful companion and best friend.

"Pika Pichu. Chupika Pika Chu?" Pikachu responded.

"You guested it buddy! It's our hometown " Ash congratulated the electric rodent on his guess. But while he was doing this, Ash couldn't help but think about his home, and how he missed it even more. Sure he missed Mimey and Professor Oak, and all his other Pokémon, but he missed his mom most of all. It was always hard for him to leave her whenever he started a new journey, but he knew that when he did eventually come home, she would be waiting for him with open arms.

"Hey Pikachu, race ya home!" Ash shouted, and with that, he was almost home.

Ketchum Residence: five minutes later…

"SURPRISE!" Yelled everyone inside of the house as Ash walked in. He couldn't believe who was there to welcome him home. His mom, Professor Oak, and Mimey were expected, but as he looked at the other faces, he was assaulted with joy. On his right were May Maple, Drew Hayden, and Dawn Berlitz. Misty Waterflower was in front of him, and Paul Shinji, of all people, was on his left. Pikachu had excused himself to the kitchen where he saw a basked full of ketchup bottles for him.

"WOW! What a surprise! Thanks everyone. I just have one question, how did you know that I was going to be home today?" Ash asked his friends and family.

"Well, I was on my way to see Professor Oak and saw you disembark your ship Ash." Misty replied. "Then I called your mom to tell her. She was the one who organized everything, invited your friends, decorated…"

"Mr. Mime…." Mimey angrily interrupted Misty to make sure his part was not forgotten.

"Of course you helped Mimey. Without you, this wouldn't have been possible!" Misty replied to the Mime Pokémon.

"So your mom called me first Ash." May explained. "I was traveling with Drew in Johto, so we didn't have to travel that far."

"And, let's not mention that Mrs. Ketchum mentioned food May." Drew added, just to see if he could make May tick, and it worked.

"DREW! I CAME HERE TO SEE ASH, NOT TO EAT!" May angrily shouted back.

To ease the tension, Dawn decided to speak about how she had gotten here.

"And then she called me!" Dawn cheerfully squealed. "I had just arrived in Kanto to compete for the Kanto Grand Festival. And you wouldn't believe who I met in the Pokémon Center…"

The normally quiet and stone cold Paul butted in and said "Ya, Troublesome over there saw me and just had to bring me along. I don't know why I agreed, but you mom and friends were accepting."

"Don't call me Troublesome…." Dawn muttered under her breath.

"Paul being NICE!?" Ash sarcastically exclaimed.

"Don't expect anymore. It was a one-time thing" Paul sneered back.

To ease the tension in the atmosphere, Mrs. Ketchum decided to start serving dinner. With this, everyone was reminded of Ash's habit of eating like a starved Snorlax. After the meal everyone went back into the living room, except for Professor Oak who had to return to his lab. A conversation then started about Ash's journey in Unova.

"So Ash, how was Unova? Were there any cool water Pokémon there?" Misty cheerfully asked him.

"And are there any Pokémon contests?" Dawn and May both asked at the same time.

"To answer Misty, Unova was a nice place. It had some large bridges that you could look at the water from and try and spot water Pokémon. And there were a few water Pokémon, but not as many as in Kanto or Hoenn." Ash stated. "And there isn't a Grand Festival in Unova, so there are not that many, if any, contests there."

"Aww.." Both Dawn and May whined.

"There's always Sinnoh May." Drew said as he tried to cheer her up. "And Dawn, you could try the Johto contests."

"I was actually planning on going to once I finished here in Kanto." Dawn replied.

Paul, as usual, was just observing and listening with an annoyed look on his face. Surprisingly, he didn't complain when Dawn moved over to sit next to him.

"Come on Paul, enjoy yourself!" Dawn cooed to him. She didn't want anyone else to realize that she was actually hurt a little that Paul wasn't enjoying himself.

"I am enjoying myself." Paul replied and pointed at May and Drew who were having another one of their arguments. This time it was about how May was the only one who got thirds at dinner other than Ash.

While all this was going on, Misty turned on the television and started watching a special on ancient legends throughout the world. Soon thereafter, everyone was watching. Ash decided that he would try and count the number of legends that he was involved in. Misty subconsciously scooted closer to him on the couch they were sitting on. Dawn had moved closer to Paul, and May was leaning her head on Drew's shoulder.

The program continued for about an hour more, but only Ash and Misty were still awake.

"Hey Ash, look at Paul and Dawn." Misty cooed quietly as not to wake them.

"Never thought Paul would have it in him." Ash replied.

"What do you mean by that?" Misty asked.

"A heart." Ash responded.

It was easy to see why Ash was amazed. Throughout the program Paul had not only let Dawn cuddle up to him, but he didn't make any notion of moving away. Dawn had fallen asleep leaning into Paul's chest and Paul and subconsciously put his arms around Dawn.

May had ended up falling asleep leaning on Drew's shoulder, whilst Drew had fallen asleep after leaning his head on May's.

"Aw, they're so cute together. It's obvious why they fight so much." Misty observed.

"Why's that?" Ash asked her curiously.

"They fight a lot to conceal that they each like each other a lot." Misty responded.

"Just like you and my Ash!" Delia quietly exclaimed.

At this point, both Ash and Misty's faces became redder than an angry Magby.

"Mom…. / Mrs. Ketchum…." Both Ash and Misty whined at the same time.

"He he. You two are so cute together." Delia announced.

With that, both Ash and Misty blushed even more.

Unknown to their knowledge, a storm had brewed outside and was raging fiercely. They only became aware of it when a loud crash occurred. It woke everyone up. Oddly enough, the storm ended right after the noise. As the group peered out the window toward the coast, they could see what appeared to be a recently beached boat, and Lugia guarding it!

* * *

Well, the chapter is done! Next chapter, I will be introducing an OC, as well as the legend aspect to the story. Not sure how long the entire story will be. Please, review and be honest, so I can make this story even better. Oh, and try to guess what the "Life Force" aspect of the story will be! It should be obvious by the end of the second chapter.


	2. Revelations

A/N: I'll try to update this story as soon as I can. With finals next week, there may or may not be another chapter posted over the weekend. This chapter is mainly about the OC, but the end will have a revelation of sorts…

Disclaimer: I still don't own Pokémon, but I wish I did. I don't own STAR WARS.

* * *

"What the hell was that noise!?" Paul angrily growled as he, along with Drew, May, and Dawn, were awoken from their slumber, but not before blushing at their seating arrangement.

"Take a look for yourself Paul." Ash responded. _Why is Lugia here? What is with that boat? And what the hell is going on?_ Ash contemplated these thoughts while everyone else looked at the sight through the window.

"Is that…. Lugia…." May asked.

"I can't believe it…" Paul stated dumbfounded.

"Lugia…. Why is it here?" Both Drew and Dawn pondered aloud simultaneously.

"Shouldn't we go and check to see if anyone is hurt?" Misty suggested, snapping everyone out of their staring trances.

"I'll stay here kids." Delia stated. "That way if someone is hurt, less time will be wasted getting the person help."

"Alright Mom." Ash replied. "Everyone else, follow me!"

With that, Ash, Misty, May, Drew, Dawn, and Paul rushed out the front door and down to the coast to where Lugia was. When the neared, Lugia finally spoke.

"Ash, good to see you again. Now, you are probably wondering what exactly is going on?" Lugia stated in his godly voice.

"Nice to see you too, Lugia. And yes, I, I mean we, are curious as to what is going on." Ash replied while pointing to his friends.

"I wish I could tell you, but someone else could do a much better job." And with that Lugia telepathically moved Ash down to where the shoreline met the beached watercraft. When the others tried to follow, Lugia stated they could when Ash finished his exploration.

Ash simply gazed in awe at the boat in front of him. It was either light black or a dark gray in color, and was roughly 40 feet long by his estimate. It was rusted in some parts and looked old, and heavily used also. There were mountings for something in four spots along the deck. He guessed they were for some type of equipment. But the one thing that left him dumbfounded was the flag. A flag which he, nor anyone he knew of, had seen. It had 13 red and white alternating stripes that were horizontal, and a blue square in the upper left corner with, as he quickly counted, around 50 stars.

"What is this?" Ash wondered aloud.

"It is for you to discover by asking, not me, but the one inside." Lugia flatly responded.

"The one inside? So there IS someone inside!" Ash excitedly responded. Lugia only chuckled in response. He then lifted Ash onto the deck of the boat.

"Thanks Lugia." Ash simply stated as an act of courtesy to the Legendary Pokémon who had helped him aboard the boat.

"Go below deck, and you shall find what, and who, you seek." Lugia responded. And that's what Ash did.

Inside the boat, approximately 30 seconds later:

As Ash cautiously walked down the stairs into the hull of the boat, Charizard's pokeball in hand (Pikachu had elected to stay with Misty, to keep her from worrying too much), he saw a teen. This teen was, by his looks, around his age. His skin had a slight tan to it, almost a mix of his and Misty's. He had brown hair with bangs in the front. _Looks like Drew has an admirer in the hair department. _Ash thought to himself as he observed the teen's clothes. He had on dark blue denim jeans, black shoes with white laces, and a gray t-shirt with the same flag and a pokémon. _That could be a Braviary_ Ash thought. He also noted that the teen had six pokeballs on his belt that seemed to be scratched from use and wear. Just then, the mysterious teen began to stir.

"What the hell happened…? I feel as though I've been run over by a bus…" The mysterious teen moaned.

"You haven't been hit by a bus, you washed ashore in your boat during a storm." Ash responded. The teen observed him for a second, and then got an expression as if he knew Ash.

"No way…. No fucking way…. This isn't possible. You, you can't be real!" The teen yelled as he got up and ran out on deck. When he emerged and saw Lugia, he was shocked beyond belief.

"Well, seems like our new friend has awoken." Lugia calmly greeted the hysterical teen. Ash had just reemerged on deck and was walking toward the teen.

"You! Stay back! And you! Lugia! Tell me how I got here! The last thing I remember is hearing a whale song off the coast of Florida!" The teen yelled, as he discovered six more pairs of eyes observing him. He then muttered something that only Ash and Lugia could make out. "If those people are who I think they are, than I really am here…."

"Yes, you are here." Lugia responded. "And how you got here is quite simple. The "whales" you heard was actually my call. When you played my song back, I appeared and teleported you here in my whirlpool."

"You mean the song from the Shamouti Island legend?" Ash asked. Meanwhile, the mystery teen was slowly putting the pieces of the confusing puzzle together.

"Yes, that song. The melody not only gives me strength when none is left, but also can summon me if played in the right locations. Shamouti Island, for example, is one of those places in this world. In our new friend's world, the Bermuda Triangle does the same thing." Confirmed Lugia. While the two were talking, the newcomer had gone back below deck and fetched what Ash thought to be his Pokedex.

"Hey, you have a Pokedex too!" Ash happily shouted upon his discovery of the object the teen had just retrieved. Meanwhile, Lugia had returned his attention to the teen.

"It's not a Pokedex, numbnuts, it's my phone. And Lugia, did you mean this song?" The teen asked while he began to play a song that was recognizable to all of them. Lugia then became enveloped in a rainbow aura, as if confirming the teen's question.

"It is. Ash, I see that your friends have all made it down here safely. I believe it would be time for the usual pleasantries when meeting a new friend." Lugia wisely noted.

"Save it Lugia. You and I both know that I know everyone here. You're Ash Ketchum, and those are your friends: Misty Waterflower, May Maple, Drew Hayden, Dawn Berlitz, and Mr. Sunshine himself, Paul Shinji. And the Pikachu that Misty is holding is no doubt the starter you received from Professor Oak." The teen simply stated while pointing to everyone he named. Everyone, but Lugia who only chuckled, was shocked at the stranger's knowledge. "Based on your reactions, I'd say I would be correct."

"BUT HOW!?" Ash yelled like a child. At this remark, the others came out of shock and Misty shot Ash an annoyed glance for his childlike way of asking a simple question.

Lugia stopped observing and once again became a diplomat between the two sides. "Our friend here is not from our world. If the flag on his shirt and ship didn't give it away, then this should have. And Ash, before you ask if he's an alien, he isn't. He's human like you and your friends." In response, the teen merely nodded as he recalled everything that Lugia had said.

"But what doesn't make sense is how he knows all of us by name, and ever where Ash got Pikachu from!" Misty bravely shouted at the legendary pokémon.

"It would be better if our friend would tell you not only that, but also his name." Lugia calmly responded as if making sure to let Misty know he wasn't angry at her for the question.

"Yah! Tell us your name already!" Drew shouted. Ash and Paul nodded. Dawn and May, who had stayed quite the entire conversation, both asked a question that was also on all their friend's minds.

"How do we know you're not a stalker!?"

"A stalker?" The teen responded while chuckling. May and Dawn both fumed at this. "I'll answer both of your questions, just as Lugia wants me to. But it would be easier to tackle the latter first. Come on board the _Enterprise_, or as I like to call her, the "Little E". And Ash, mind helping me lower the gangplank?"

Ash turned to his group of friend, who all nodded. He helped the teen lower the gangplank as requested. Once everyone was on board, Paul was the first to speak.

"You got us on here, now start talking."

"I'd rather have you discover the answers on your own. All of my belongings are below deck, and you have my permission to look around." The teen replied. Paul shot him an annoyed glance while Lugia calmly smirked at the teen's idea.

"It does sound kinda fun." May stated. Misty and Dawn both nodded.

"COOL! A scavenger hunt!" Ash exclaimed. Drew simply chuckled and Paul redirected his glance toward Ash.

"I do have two last things to say. Whatever you do, don't fiddle with the engine controls and don't raid my fridge." The teen stated. Everyone, including Lugia, chuckled at the second part, while Ash responded with an annoyed glance. Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder to try and calm him down. "The second part was just to make sure Ash doesn't lose focus and think that my turkey sandwich has my name in it." After that, Ash became less annoyed when he discovered it was a joke. Everyone else still reveled at Ash's reaction.

"I believe now would be a good time to start." Lugia suggested "I'll stay with our friend to keep him company, and explain to him some other details that he should know." Everyone nodded in response. The teen then went and sat on one of the deck boxes while Ash and company descended below deck to find out this stranger's identity.

Inside of the _Enterprise_:

When Ash was below deck before, he didn't have much of a chance to look around before the boat's owner awoke and rushed past him and out onto the deck. Now that he was back, he could observe the compartment in whole. The main area was just tall enough for him and all his friends to stand up comfortably in. The walls were the same color as the hull, but had various picture frames hung. Some had paintings of ships, some had aircraft, and others had posters of race cars and their drivers. The floor was wood and cleanly polished. Various boxes were stacked around and on the chairs and two tables in the room. There were three doors that lead out of this compartment. The first was back up the stairs and that lead on deck. The second was straight ahead, and it lead to the kitchen, but the sign above the door read "Galley". The third was ahead and on his left, and it's sign read "Bunks"

Ash had seen May and Drew go through that door. Misty had already elected to go search the "Galley", and Dawn and Paul were busy digging through the boxes in the room he currently occupied. He elected to help Misty search, but he didn't know why as Dawn and Paul looked like they needed the most help.

Drew's POV:

After we had all gone below, May and I wandered into the room on the left of the main that had a sign that read "Bunks". As we entered, we found out why. The room wasn't as large as the first, it was smaller in fact. There was a door to my right that led into another room, with a sign that read "Captain's Cabin". To my left on the wall were six fold-out beds, arranged in a three column by two row setting. The wall in front of me had mounts for something, but neither May nor I could figure out what they were for. The floor was the same color wood as the main room, as to be expected. There were a couple tables and a few chairs scattered around.

"Hey May, there doesn't look like much can be found here so let's go through there." I suggested as I pointed toward the open door.

"Yah, I think you're right." She replied. I reveled whenever she stated such common knowledge.

"I know I'm right." I teased her. I loved to do this with her. "But before we get into another argument, we should finish the task at hand." I concluded.

"Ugh. Be quite. And if you're so concerned about this "task at hand" then hurry up and go." May responded in her annoyed tone.

I nodded with a smug grin on my face and we both proceeded to go through the door. The room behind it was the smallest, but also the nicest. Instead of a wood floor, it had plain white carpet. There was a modest bed next to a doorway that lead to a bathroom. On the walls were pictures of the teen, whose identity was unknown to us but somehow known to Lugia, with what looked like his friends. Some had captions, like one for a picture that showed the teen with about 15 others that read "PCMB Clarinets 2010". But there was one on his nightstand that looked older than the rest. It was of a young man, about 21 maybe, in a uniform of some kind. _Maybe he was with a Pokémon League somewhere_ I though. The frame had the same flag and bird pokémon from the teen's shirt, with the name "Robert" on the bottom.

"Who do you think this "Robert" is May?" I asked her while pointing at the picture.

"How should I know? Maybe someone from his family or someone important to him. I'm going to search this chest, and you can search that shelf." She replied to me while pointing at both objects.

The self was opposite the bed and was made out of wood. It had some models of planes and ships that looked like the ones from the paintings. There was a closed laptop sitting on it along with some books. The titles were some that I had never heard of. One was about some guy named Abraham Lincoln, while a couple others were about something called "STAR WARS", whatever that was. The vast majority were about a major event called "World War II". I picked up one of the books and looked at the cover, and not bothering to read the title, noticed the picture had some planes that were in the paintings from before. I decided to make a mental not to ask about these things later.

As I put the book back, I was surprised by May with her sudden outburst. "DREW! YOU WONT BELIEVE THIS! EVERYONE, COME IN HERE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT I FOUND!" And with that, our four other friends joined us in the cabin.

Ash POV:

After searching the kitchen, or "galley", as the sign on the door read, for a few minutes and finding nothing but food, Misty said we should go help Paul and Dawn. I sadly agreed, as there was hardly any food here for one person. At that statement, Misty had said something about how it could easily feed five people for two weeks, and that I had the appetite of three hungry Munchlax. As we emerged back into the main room, I saw that Paul and Dawn were about halfway through their search.

"So what have you guys found yet?" I asked.

"Nothing but car stuff. Troublesome found a clarinet in its case, but proceeded to drop it when she realized the case was open." Paul responded to me.

"I didn't know it was open! The two latches looked shut!" Dawn replied and looked like she was on the verge of tears. Misty went over to her, gave her a hug, and said that it was an accident. Dawn seemed to cheer up a little after that.

"Be glad I don't have my mallet with me Paul!" Misty warned Paul while giving him one of her death stairs. Paul actually gave a shocked expression as his face went away from its ever present scowl.

Pikachu had jumped off my shoulder and had been digging through a couple of boxes, when he cried out. "Pika Pi! Pika Chu! Pi Ka!"

"What did you find buddy?" I asked him as he dragged out a photo. It looked recently taken, as the teen didn't look that much younger than he was now. He was wearing a suit and standing in front of a casket, looking down into the opened front. On the lower half stood a picture frame of a young man, maybe 20 or 21, in a uniform of some kind. Beside the picture stood another frame, only this one had a couple of medals in it.

"Good find buddy!" I congratulated Pikachu. "Find anything else?"

"Pika Pi! Pika!" Pikachu cried as he placed those same medals from the photo in front of me.

"Well that's something." Dawn noted, fully recovered from Paul's insult a few minutes before.

"So we found a photo of this guy and the medals that were in it. Big deal, as we still don't have a name." Paul stated. He was right, but Pikachu had found one last item.

"Pika! Pika Pi!" Pikachu shouted as he regained out attention. He was standing next to uniform that looked old.

"What could that help us find out?" I asked him. At this, both Pikachu and Dawn face palmed, Misty sighed, and Paul gave me a stare as if to say "You really can't it out…"

"That's the same uniform the man in the picture from the photo Pikachu found is wearing." Misty told me. "And based on the photo, I think he's at the man's funeral. That man may have been related to the kid whose name we are trying to find out!"

The gears in my head clicked and I finally got it.

"Hey Ash, look to see if there's a name on the uniform somewhere." Misty suggested.

"Alright, I will." I responded. It only took me all of a second to find it. "It reads: R. Zombory. There are also some markings on the sleeves of the jacket. They look like arrows going up and down."

"I'll take a picture of theme." Dawn said as she got out her Pokegear.

"We should put the stuff back and look in the rest of the boxes." Paul suggested.

Once the uniform was put away, I went to put back the photo and medals, but was interrupted by May's call.

"DREW! YOU WONT BELIEVE THIS! EVERYONE, COME IN HERE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT I FOUND!"

I pocketed the picture and medals and followed Misty, Dawn, and Paul to where May was.

Drew's POV:

I couldn't believe what May had found. Inside of the chest was the usual trainer gear: a pokedex, trainer card, backpack, ect. But underneath that stuff, were filled badge and contest cases. There were completed plaques for each of the Battle Frontiers. But what awestruck me the most were five trophies. I'd seen only one before, when I had gone to watch Ash at the Hoenn League Championship, at May's request of course. It was the trophy for winning the Hoenn League. I could only assume the others were for winning the other leagues as well.

"I don't believe it….." is all May could mutter once she realized her discovery.

"Neither can I…" I replied.

"Believe what?" Ash asked. Paul, Misty, and Dawn also looked as if they wanted to know the big discovery.

"Take a look for yourself." I replied.

The four of the wandered over to the chest as May and I stepped back.

"Wow…" Dawn admired. "Look at the ribbons this guy has."

"He's filled all the Battle Frontier plaques also." Paul noted.

"This guy has every badge from all the regions! He must be good!" Ash exclaimed.

"He is, look at these." Misty said as she pointed to the five league championship trophies May and I had found.

"He's the Champion of every league…. Why haven't we heard of this guy before?" Ash questioned while awestruck at the same time. Even Paul looked shocked.

"Read the inscription on it Misty. Maybe it'll have his name." Dawn suggested.

"Presented to Mr. Justin Zombory for his achievement of winning the Indigo League." Misty read aloud.

We were all shocked at this discovery, but Ash seemed the most affected. He had tried to win each league, only to fall short each time.

"Ash, are you going to be okay?" Misty asked with a concerned look on her face.

"I think so. I'm just confused as to how we've never heard of this guy before." Ash replied.

"We can ask him when we return to him. Did you guys find anything?" May asked.

"We did, well mainly Pikachu did." Ash responded. "He found this photo along with these medals, and an old uniform that had "R. Zombory" on it." As he showed May and I the picture, something clicked. I noticed that the picture in the photo matched the one on the nightstand.

"Ash, look over there." I stated while pointing toward the frame. Everyone looked, and then Dawn stated the obvious.

"It's the same one from the photo!"

"It is bu…" I started to explain what I had figured out when I heard Lugia call to us.

"You have found your answers it seems."

"We have Lugia! We'll be right up!" Ash called back.

With that, we left the small room and headed back up onto the deck.

3rd Person POV:

Once the six friends were back on deck, they followed the mysterious teen down the gangplank as Lugia asked the obvious.

"So, what questions have you answered?"

"Well, we found out his name." Ash stated while pointing at the teen, who had gotten up from his deck box seat.

"Then what is it?" The teen asked.

"It's Justin Zombory." Ash answered as he took a step forward. As he did, the photo and one of the medals he had placed in his pocket fell out. Upon seeing those items, Justin's eyes started to well up and it looked like he was about to cry.

"That my name. But where, where did you find that photo and my grandfather's Silver Star at?" Justin asked, while also shedding a couple of tears, which he unsuccessfully tried to hide.

"So that picture on your nightstand is your grandfather?" Drew asked. "The guy in it looks no more than 21!"

"That's because it was taken in 1944, when he WAS 21." Justin angrily answered. "And Ash, I'd like that photo and the medals you have. I've been looking for them for a while now. So thanks for finding them."

"Pikachu also found his uniform, with these markings on the sleeve." Dawn stated as she held up her Pokegear with the photo taken from before on the screen.

"That was his ranking. He was a Technical Sergeant in the 128th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion, United States Army." Justin replied.

"What's the United States?" Everyone asked. Justin got a look on his face as if they were high. Lugia just chuckled at the question and decided to intervene.

"The United States is the country Justin is from. The reason you have never heard of it because that country doesn't exist in this world. The flag on his shirt and on the boat are the countrie's flag. And that "pokémon" on his shirt isn't a pokémon, but an animal called a Bald Eagle. " Lugia stated. "As I had just finished telling Justin, He was transported to a parallel dimension. His location combined with the song he played allowed me to transport him here, just as he wished, and everyone here needed."

"You didn't need to tell them that…." Justin grumbled. Everyone else was just absorbing what Lugia had told them.

"That explains why you have all those league trophies and contest ribbons and nobody here has heard of you!" Ash exclaimed, not being dense for once.

"What trophies? And what ribbons?" Justin asked with a confused look on his face.

"The ones in the chest in your room that May searched through." Misty answered him.

"But, I only won that all that in…" Justin started as it dawned on him. "in my games. The only things I had in that chest were my Pokémon games and guidebooks!"

Before everyone got even more confused at this latest revelation, Lugia wisely intervened once more.

"In Justin's universe, everything that goes on in ours goes on in his, only as video games and a television anime. In a sense, whatever Justin had done and gotten in those games were given to him when he got here. The pokémon on his belt were the six he had previously used in battle." Lugia explained.

After this exclamation, everyone was freaked out but calmed down once Lugia finished.

"Some parts of this universe, mainly everything when Ash isn't in another region going for his title of Pokémon Master, don't occur in Justin's. Also, because he was brought here, another universe spun off that his universe will follow. So, in a sense, you are no longer being watched."  
Lugia finished. "Why don't you show us your pokémon, Justin?"

"I wanna see them! Show us! Plus Pikachu can make some new friends!" Ash excitedly urged as Pikachu agreed with a confirmation "Chu!".

"Can we seen them, please?" Misty asked, in a much more polite tone.

"Please?" Dawn and May cooed together.

"Let's see what you got!" Drew suggested.

"I have nothing better to do, so call them out." Paul added, and received an icy glare from Dawn.

"Alright, I'll show you them." Justin responded and was met with "Ya!"s and "Yahoo!"s.

As he grabbed the first pokeball on his belt, he quickly thought up a unique way to call out his Pokémon. "Charizard! Sound off!" And with that, the large orange dragon was release.

"Hey buddy, thes…." Justin calmly started talking to the fire dragon but was engulfed in a fiery hug before he could finish. "Yah, I'm happy to see you too."

"Aw, that's sweet." May said.

"Why did it take ME so long to get Charizard to act like that towards me…" Ash jealously muttered.

"Let me guess, Charizard was your started?" Drew asked even though he, along with everyone there, knew the answer.

"Yep! Back in 2006! Been my pal for almost seven years now, even if this is the first time I've been able to physically talk to him, and not command him using an A button on a game." Justin replied. "You have a Charizard, don't you Ash? Or is he still in Charisific Valley?"

"He's still there but I could call him down later today. I bet your Charizard would like to make another friend, as he seems to have taken a liking to Pikachu." Ash stated while pointing to the two pokémon. Charizard was flying low circles around the boat with Pikachu on his back.

"Then it's only seems fit to call you out next. Volt! Sound off!" Justin called as he released his second pokémon.

"Pika! Pika Chu!" Volt cried as he appeared. He then jumped onto Charizards back, who had just landed to collect the second Pikachu.

"You have a Pikachu too!" Ash happily shouted.

"Yep!" Justin replied. "Believe it or not, I tried to base my team around yours Ash, but I ended up going with only Charizard and Volt."

"Do you have any water pokémon?" Misty asked Justin with a twinkle of hope in her eye.

"Yes I do Misty. Vaporeon! Sound off!" Justin answered as he released his Bubble Jet Pokémon. As it materialized beside Justin, it jumper into his arms, licking his face with its tounge.

"Aw, what a cutie!" Misty cried.

"I think he would like a friend. Glaceon! Take the stage!" May shouted as she released her Glaceon.

Upon spotting the new pokémon, Vaporeon jumped out of Justin's hands and next to Glaceon. The two Eeveelutions then greeted each other and walked off from the group a little to start their own conversation.

"What's next? A Dragonite?" Paul sarcastically asked.

"Actually, yes." Justin replied. "Dragonite! Sound off!"

As Justin released his fourth pokémon, Ash reveled at his former rival's false attempt at being snide. Dawn just chuckled.

Dragonite then materialized from the red light next to Justin and, as with his other pokémon, gave him some form of affection. In Dragonite's case, it was the same as Charizard's, a great big dragon hug. When finished, Dragonite took to the skies and started flying with Charizard. The two pokémon were acting like old friends, and in this case, they were.

"I have to admit, I am now officially impressed." Drew stated while starring at awe at the yellow-orange dragon.

"The Great Drew, impressed!?" May sarcastically responded, trying to get back at Drew for his comment when they were back inside the ship.

"I am May." Was Drew's response.

"Well good, because I am too." May replied while leaning her head on Drew's shoulder. Drew responded by putting his left arm around May's waist. Justin noticed this, along with Dawn trying her best to get Paul to act less grumpy, and Ash and Misty arguing over which of his pokémon was better. Justin took a mental note of this as he thought to himself. _Those hints and ideas can't really be true, or can they? _

"Well, I hate to break up your festivities, but I still have two pokémon left." Justin shouted. Ash and Misty stopped their fighting, Drew and May both blushed at what they had both been doing and quickly separated, and Dawn pulled Paul back to the others.

"Roserade! Sound off!" Justin called as he released his Grass and Poison typed pokémon. It appeared facing Justin and gave him a smile, which he promptly returned.

"I also have a Roserade." Drew said as he pulled released the pokémon from its pokeball.

Both Roserades exchanged greetings and, just like Glaceon and Vaporeon, went away from the group a little to start their own conversation.

At this point, Charizard had dropped off both Pikachu and Volt and was having and areal race with Dragonite.

So, what's your last pokémon?" Dawn asked after succeeding in getting Paul back to his usual annoyed state of being.

"Well, it's one that both Ash and May should know. I'm surprised that Ash can't sense it, being sensitive to Aura and all." Justin remarked while both May and Ash both went into their memories trying to figure out what pokémon it was. Drew, Paul, and Dawn were more interested in the latest revelation of the day, that Ash is able to sense Aura.

"I don't know. I give up!" Ash shouted as he rubbed the back of his head.

May, however, decided to guess.

"Based on the clues, I wanna say it's a Lucario." May guessed.

"Well, time to find out!" Justin replied with a smug grin on his face as he released his last pokémon.

Just as May had guessed, a Lucario appeared and stood next to Justin. What happened next, nobody could have guessed.

"Nice to finally be able to talk to you in person." Lucario spoke.

"You're using telepathy just like Lugia." Justin replied.

"Yes, I am. Speaking of Lugia, there is something that both of us need to reveal to not only you, but everyone here." Lucario responded, but with a grave undertone only two people could detect, or sense.

What do you mean?" Justin and Ash both asked at the same time. Lucario only chuckled when he noticed Lugia giving him a confirmation smile.

"Lugia should be the one to tell you, not I. He is the architect of how you two met." Lucario suggested.

"If you insist." Lugia replied with his godly voice that had not been heard in the past few minutes. As if on que, all the pokémon returned and stood next to, or on in Pikachu and Volt's cases, their respected trainers.

"There is a great darkness growing, started by one of its own. Your friend Riley, Ash and Dawn, has become corrupted and turned to the Shadow." Lugia grimly stated. "He has set out on a path the corrupt and turn every pokémon evil, so only he can control it. But when dealing with Shadow Trainers, there is always two: a master and an apprentice. Neither I nor Lucario can sense which role Riley plays."

"All I can sense is a great darkness is growing in a far place, and at that place is Riley's Aura. Unfortunately, his Lucario has already become corrupted." Lucario sadly added to the already sinking morale of the group.

"But I do have good news. The ones to train you, to control and master your Aura, have learned to surpass death." Lugia mentioned as he pointed his head first at Ash, and then at Justin. "Do you think that it was only coincidence that you would have a Lucario?"

"But, I never thought I would have Aura." Justin replied, while being shocked at Lugia's newest release of information.

"So, that means that Justin and I have to team up to save the world? Why do I always having to play some part in saving the world?" Ash asked.

"Destiny. That is all I can shed at this moment." Lugia responded.

"Going back to these teachers, would they happen to be Sir Aaron and his Lucario?" Justin asked.

"How perceptive." Lugia replied. "Or was it just because you watched the movie from your universe dealing with them?"

"Can we stop confusing everyone with this multi-universe stuff!" Misty yelled as she spoke for everyone there.

"Yes I did. End of that, alright Misty?" Justin calmly replied trying to ease the situation.

"Good. Now go back to listening to Lugia." Misty scolded Justin.

"Yes, mom." Justin sarcastically fired backed, and received a glare from Misty.

"So how do we talk to them?" Ash asked Lugia.

"Simple. There is an island not far from here. It is an island that cannot become corrupted and is a place where spirits can return from the Ether. In two days' time, I shall return to guide you there. And Justin, as a parting gift." Lugia wisely stated while returning the _Enterprise_ back into the water. He then took to the skies and dove into the sea.

"Goodbye Lugia!" Everyone shouted as he disappeared.

"I think it would be best if all my pokémon stay out of their pokeballs tonight. Seeing as they probably have never been out." Justin stated.

"I think we should go back to your house Ash." Misty suggested, to which everyone agreed.

"Before we go, can you guys guide me into Pallet Harbor?" Justin asked, and for good reason. His ship was their only transport to Lugia's supposed "safe island". It also held a secret, he thought only know to him, that would come in handy in a jam.

Half an hour later, the _Enterprise_ was safely in a slip at Pallet Harbor, and the teens returned home. Justin met Delia, and the group explained to her what had occurred.

With the unexpected guest at her home, Delia had to rearrange the sleeping pairs. Ash, Misty, and Justin would be in Ash's room. Paul and Dawn would be in the guest room, and Drew volunteered to sleep on the couch downstairs. May joined him, fearing he would freeze during the night, even though it was the beginning of summer.

As everyone was going to their specified area, Justin said he had left something on his boat and needed to retrieve it. He told his pokémon to stay at the house. This left everyone in pairs for the time being.

Two hours later:

After returning from the _Enterprise_, Justin walked in on a sight he had predicted would happen. Drew was laying on the couch with May snuggling up to him, using his chest as a pillow. He noticed a slight grin on both of their faces. Delia emerged from the kitchen, and put a finger up to her mouth while winking.

Justin nodded in response and saw his pokémon had found various spots to sleep for the night. He guessed Volt was with Pikachu as he noticed he was missing, along with Lucario. But Lucario had stated before he left, he would be up in his room, looking out the window.

As he walked upstairs, he peaked into the guest room, he saw another sight he predicted. Paul was sleeping on his side, and was holding Dawn in front of him. His face seemed at peace, and there was even a slight smile. Dawn had a smile on her face as well, as she was holding onto Paul's arms. He accidently nudged the door and heard it emit a small squeak. Dawn awoke and noticed him standing there. She blushed, but only to have him return a small salute. Dawn smiled at this and snuggled closer to Paul, almost immediately returning to sleep.

As he entered the room he would be staying in, he was correct for the third time tonight on one of his predictions. Ash was sprawled out on the top bunk, with Misty using Ash as a pillow in the same manner Dawn had. He noticed Ash had that goofy grin on his face from before, and Misty had a small smile on hers. He then saw Pikachu and Volt curled up next to each other on a corner of the top bunk. When he turned to the window, he saw Lucario, fast asleep, at the window, with a blanket draped over him.

With the world at peace for now, Justin changed out of his clothes and into his sleeping clothes, which was just a pair of black basketball shorts. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

Wow, I can't believe I did it. 16 pages in 4 hours of typing. Fingers have cramps in them. This chapter almost has four times the number of words as the last. So, please review. I've made allusions to a few things in this chapter of things to come, so hopefully you spotted some. And before anyone asks, at a later chapter, there will be a flashback to tell why Justin went back to the _Enterprise_ and what he did that took him two hours to accomplish.


	3. An Old Friend

A/N: This chapter introduces an aspect of Justin that I'm not sure how people will think of it. Also, a fan-favorite character is introduced, but I'm not going to say who. It's also shorter than the last as I'm currently in the middle of midterm/final exams.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, but I wish I did.

* * *

The following two days passed by without much incident. Justin was gone most of the time, working on the _Enterprise_. He had left his pokémon, other than Lucario, at the Ketchum residence. Paul stayed separate from the group unless a meal was occurring or when he went to bed. Dawn tried her best to get Paul to do something, but she didn't succeed. Ash and Misty had another one of their trademark arguments, this one about whether or not Ash could beat Justin in a 6-on-6 battle. Ash said he could but Misty doubted it, saying that the last time Ash had faced a Dragonite, it knocked out three of his pokémon before he eventually defeated it. May and Drew were actually getting along without any major fights or insults, other than when May would stuff her face with Ash during dinner.

Once the two days had passed, Lugia did return.

"Is everyone prepared?" Lugia asked the group of teens.

"Yes." Everyone responded, except for Paul, who just grunted.

"Good. I suggest that you do pack for at least two weeks, as it will take a few days there and back, and a few on the island itself." Lugia told the teens, but the advice was not needed as everyone had already packed.

"All that's left is to load up the _Enterprise_, or has that already been done Justin?" Misty asked.

"And more. Now I suggest we all ready-up and get going. There are a couple things that I should reveal and explain to you, just not here." Justin grimly stated.

"Wait, what do you mean by "ready-up"?" Ash densly questioned, while everyone else face palmed.

"Army term." Justin explained. "It means to get ready. Like I said, there are things I need to reveal to you."

"Oh! I get it now!" Ash exclaimed, while everyone else face palmed once more.

"This is going to be a long trip…." Paul groaned.

"Try to cheer up Paul!" Dawn chimed.

"Doubt it Troublesome." Paul remarked.

"Don't call me that!" Dawn yelled back. At this, Paul just smirked, knowing he had won. Seeing Paul smile calmed Dawn down a little, but she was still mad at Paul for calling her that nickname.

"Can you to stop fighting?" Drew interjected at the two quarreling teens. They both became silent, obeying Drew's request. "Good."

"Now, gather your pokémon and head towards the port. I will be waiting there along with Justin, as he has a last minute detail to attend to regarding our journey." Lugia calmly stated.

"I do, so I'll see all of you in 20 minutes." Justin said. With that he recalled his pokémon, except for Volt and Lucario, and walked out of the yard and towards the port.

"Let's get our stuff and hurry down there!" Ash happily exclaimed as he reached for his backpack. But before he could put it on, his mother stopped him.

"Not so fast young man!" Delia yelled to stop her son. "You haven't packed any food for your trip!" And with that, she handed Ash and company sealed containers full of food she and Mimey had prepared.

"Thanks Mom!" Ash happily replied as he accepted the food. The others were equally grateful.

"Have fun and stay safe!" Delia told everyone. "And Ash, don't forget to change your "you-know-whats" every day!" At this comment Ash toppled over in embarrassment, while everyone else chuckled.

"Get up Ash." Misty told the face-planted teen.

"I really wish she would stop saying that every time I leave…" Ash muttered so only he and Misty could here, but somehow his mom heard.

"What was that?" Delia questioned her son.

"Nothing Mom!" Ash quickly snapped back to avoid further embarrassment.

"Can we just get going already?" Dawn whined.

"Yah, can we already?" May complained right after Dawn.

"We're going, OK!" An annoyed Ash responded.

"Then let's go. Come on May, walk with me." Drew said, which May blushed at. Dawn and Misty looked at her with smug smirks on their faces. Drew just smirked.

Five minutes later at Pallet Port:

Justin had been moving the last few crates stocked with things they would need for the trip. As he was moving the last one, he looked over and saw the group making its way down the dock towards the _Enterprise_.

"Damn it!" Justin muttered under his breath. "I told them 20 minutes, not 2..." Lugia chuckled at this.

"We both know that Ash is impatient and will hardly ever wait." Lugia replied.

"You're right. Lucario stall them for me please. I still need to test the last of the gear." Justin commanded his loyal pokémon.

"Yes Captain." Lucario responded in his gruff telepathic voice. Justin had asked him to call him that while onboard the _Enterprise_, and in return had made Lucario his first mate.

"Dragonite! Sound off!" Justin called as he released the dragon pokémon. He then climbed on Dragonite's back while strapping a backpack on, along with some other gear and a helmet. They then took off into the sky.

Ash and company saw this as Lucario made his way down to the dock to intercept the teens.

"Where did Justin go?" May asked Lucario.

"Testing the last item of gear that he needs." Lucario responded. Justin had asked him to answer the questions honestly. "He also said that last night he contacted an old friend of yours, somebody named Brock Slate. Do you know anyone by this name?"

"Brock! He called Brock! I wonder why?" Ash excitedly contemplated while everyone else expressed looks of joy.

"You could always ask me yourselves." A man of 21 stated as he walked up behind the group, backpack in hand.

"BROCK!" Everyone exclaimed at once, except for Paul, who only grunted at the man's appearance.

"Hey everyone. Hello again Lucario. Nice to meet you in person." Brock greeted the group.

"Same to you." Lucario responded. "Now why don't you tell the group why you have come. And I sense that Justin will be joining us momentarily."

"Yesterday I got a call from a teen named Justin claiming he knew you guys, and requested my help." Brock explained. "He said he knew of my skills as a cook and as a doctor, and would need them on his next trip. He then said he would explain everything once I got here and talked to everyone."

"He should be landing very soon." Lugia responded, while in the meantime shocking Brock, who had somehow not seen the legendary pokémon when he arrived.

"Lugia? What are you doing here?" Brock asked while everyone else only laughed.

"All will be explained as soon as Justin lands." Lugia calmly answered.

"LAND?" Everyone exclaimed at hearing Lugia's sentence.

"Yes, and here he comes now. Just look up." Lugia instructed the group. As they did, they noticed, at first just a spec, but then a person falling towards the ground. Drew, Ash, and Paul all pulled out a pokeball, ready to release their respective flying pokémon to help, when Lugia stated they weren't needed. Just as the figure was around 500 yards off the ground, he pulled a string on his pack and a parachute opened. He landed a few feet behind them in a grassy field next to the port. When the figure stood up and took off his helmet, everyone realized who had done the death-defying stunt.

"JUSTIN!?" Everyone exclaimed at once.

"Like I told you at the Ketchum residence, there are things that I need to tell you." Justin calmly replied, as if he had almost not fallen to his death. "And Brock is here, excellent."

* * *

Just to clarify, Justin's not a stunt man. If you've picked up on any hints from the chapters, then you should know what I'm basing his character off of. If not, then you're pretty much as dense as Ash. The main reason Brock got introduced in this chapter was that I forgot to include him in the first….. My bad. Thanks to Da Count and Cloud Reflection for the reviews. On that note, please review to help me out with my writing. Thanks!


	4. A Haunted Past

A/N: Finals are over so I've had more time to write. In this chapter will reveal what I've based Justin's character off of in this chapter. Also, a certain crew of familiar villains makes an appearance. On with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, nor do I own the patent for the M1911A1 Handgun (Colt Manufacturing Company does).

* * *

In the grassy field next to Pallet Port:

"You all seem as if you've just seen someone fall out of the sky." Justin commented as he walked over to the group.

"But you just were!" Dawn shouted, with confirming nods from everyone else.

"There's a difference between falling and a H.A.L.O. Jump, with the latter being a military tactic." Justin responded calmly, fully aware of the glances he was getting.

"A H.A.L.O. Jump?" Everyone asked at once.

"Ah yes, I forgot you don't know much in military terms. It stands for High Altitude Low Opening, and is used when the transport aircraft can get into a drop zone without fear of being shot down by anti-aircraft fire." Justin explained. "Another similar jump is called a H.A.H.O Jump, or High Altitude High Opening Jump and is used when the transport aircraft has to fly higher above a drop zone to avoid anti-aircraft fire. And before you ask, a drop zone is where the jumpers leave the plane."

"HUH!?" The confused group responded at once.

"Wait for it…" Justin slyfully said as everyone else absorbed what he just said.

"Makes sense." Paul said, much to everyone's surprise.

"You actually get what he said!?" An astonished Ash asked.

"It's not that hard to comprehend Ash." Brock stated.

"Not you too…." Ash replied.

"Actually Ash, you seem to be the only one who doesn't get it, as your friends seem to understand." Justin pointed out, with everyone giving a nod, or a grunt in Paul's case.

"I'll understand it later…" Ash grumbled. "But still, why were you doing that?"

"I needed to test out the jump gear, to make sure it was safe for the rest of you to use." Justin nonchalantly responded, while getting, once again, shocked faces.

"WHAT!?" Everyone yelled at once.

"There's so much I need to explain….." Justin grumbled. "I'm just surprised you guys haven't noticed the gear I have on or the changes with the _Enterprise_."

"Why do you have that stuff on anyway?" Misty asked.

"It's my jump gear. I wear it whenever I make a jump." Justin answer the question, which was obvious from his point of view.

Justin was wearing full black; a black shirt, pants, and pair of boots. On his back he had a parachute pack, with the chute now dragging behind him. He had a small oxygen tank also on his back, which connected to a mask that could join his helmet. In his hand was his jump helmet, which also included an onboard camera. On his wrist he had a watch and an altimeter sensor (a device that tracks the wearer's altitude), and fingerless gloves on his hand. His vest held the oxygen tank and chute pack, and also had extra pockets in the front and sides. On his left leg were more extra pockets; while on his right was a holster that held a handgun.

"Um, why do you have a gun?" May asked.

"Yah, isn't it illegal to own one at your age?" Drew also asked.

"I'll answer both of those with my explanation about myself once we get onboard my ship." Justin responded. "And I'll show you the jump if you guys want, as my helmet has a built-in camera."

"Where'd your Dragonite go Justin?" Ash questioned, while everyone else just sighed out at his denseness.

"Back in his pokeball. Where else would he be?" Justin stated.

"O… Now I think I get what a HALO Jump is…" Ash said, as he finally put the mental puzzle together.

As the group was asking Justin every question they could think of about his arrival, a Meowth-shaped balloon had descended to the group.

"Prepare for trouble!" The first human shouted.

"And make it double!" The second added.

"Just shut up with your motto! We all know that you're Jessie and James of Team Rocket and you're here to try and steal Ash's Pikachu! You also have a talking Meowth as a partner!" Justin shouted as he drew his handgun.

"Um Jessie, when did the twerps get armed?" James asked his partner.

"I don't know. But the one with it seems new. I don't recognize him. Do you guys do?" Jessie responded.

"I don't." James responded.

"Neither do I." Meowth added in.

"I'll handle them." Justin flatly stated. And with that, he fired five shots into the balloon. The noise shocked everyone and sent them running for cover. Lugia and Lucario just chuckled behind the physic barrier Lugia had created for them. Team Rocket wasn't as lucky, as the balloon burst with each bullet hit. It then took off into the sky.

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" All three of the balloon's passengers shouted as they departed the scene.

"Dear god do they get annoying…" Justin stated while returning the handgun to its holster. Everyone just looked at him once again with shocked faces.

"Why didn't we ever think of puncturing their balloon while they were doing their motto…" Misty grumbled to herself.

"I think now would be a good time to depart. I'll be waiting for you out in the water." Lugia stated.

"He's right, those shots will have drawn attention." Justin added. "Everyone, aboard the _Enterprise_.

With that, everyone got aboard Justin's ship, and noticed the changed right away. For one, the ship was a lot larger. Justin told them as they boarded that he had increased the length to 70 feet and the beam (width) to 30 feet. It was no longer rusty and old-looking, but a dark grey color. It also had an angular design to the hull, almost in a stealthy way. The flag on the stern (rear) of the ship remained, and the name _Enterprise_ was written on the stern as well. The inside compartments were in the same locations, with the bunk and living room larger. There was also a door that nobody had noticed on the right side of the main room when they had been inside two days ago.

Once everyone was comfortable, Justin navigated the _Enterprise_ out of Pallet Port to follow Lugia.

Sunset, near one of the Orange Islands:

Lugia had said that it was time to stop for the night, so Justin anchored the _Enterprise_ off shore of one of the Orange Islands. Once that was done, he descended below deck with Volt, as Lucario had requested to return to his pokeball until he was needed again, shut the door, and proceeded into the bunk room where everyone was.

"There are some things that you all are wondering about me, so I'll tell you them now." Justin calmly stated as he entered the room. Seeing everyone looking at him and hearing no objections, he continued. "I am the leader of a black operations team, called the Specter Rangers."

At this statement, nobody except Ash was all that surprised.

"My codename is Ghost, with this being the reason." Justin continued while putting on a black balaclava with a skull design on, along with black sunglasses. Once everyone had seen it, he promptly removed them.

"You said you were the leader of a team, right?" May asked. "So who are your teammates?"

At this question, Justin zoned out for a minute and looked as if he was going to cry. He didn't try to hide it, which everyone noticed.

"Follow me." Justin said in a sadden tone.

He led the group from the bunks across the hall to the mystery door everyone had noticed when they returned to the ship. Justin typed in a pass code on a keypad next to the door and it unlocked. They then all entered. What they saw shocked everyone.

"They were my team." Justin stated, on the verge of tears while pointing at a display stand

On that stand, were for American flags folded and encased in a wooden case, with a pair of dog tags placed in front. Behind each flag was a box, and on top of that box was a picture frame with a name on the bottom, and a person in it.

"Their names were Nicholas Potter, Traven Thai, Julian Gabriel, and Mitchel Langell." Justin stated, pointing to each picture as he said a name. "Their ashes are in those boxes, and their dog tags are in front of the flags."

At this point Justin started crying.

"Oh my…" Misty said while getting this unexpected shock.

Brock, Ash, and Drew simply remained quiet. Paul's usually grimace face turned to sorrow at this revelation. Dawn gasped, while May started to feel guilty. Pikachu was next to Volt, giving him a pat on the pack to try and comfort the electric mouse who had just found out about his master's loss.

"Justin, I'm sorry I asked." May apologized.

"Don't be." Justin responded, while wiping away tears. "I was going to eventually tell you guys, but sense you asked, I decided to do it now."

"So how did they, you know…" Dawn started asking, but was cut off.

"Die." Justin finished for her. "I'll play the video for you."

With that, everyone walked out of the small room and back into the bunk room. Justin didn't shut the door, and said if anyone wanted to go back in there, they were free to. When they all got settled in the bunk room, Justin retrieved his laptop and connected it to the TV in that room. He then started a video that gave everyone a crash course in what he did.

It lasted for 15 minutes. In it, it showed a mission go horribly wrong from Justin's point of view. It showed how his team had gotten ambushed by militia. It showed Justin killing men. It showed men shooting back. It showed his squad mates getting killed. At each point someone would get shot, he would say their name. Once the fighting was over, it showed how an evacuation helicopter had come. It showed Justin close the eyes of his fallen comrades. It showed body bags being loaded into the helicopter. Then it showed the ground get smaller. Then it ended.

"That's how it happened." Justin said as he stopped the video while crying once more.

May went over to him and gave him a hug to try and comfort him. He responded with a simple "Thanks."

"So what happened after that?" Drew asked.

"I returned back home with their bodies, and delivered the news to all their families. Were we all only 16 when it happened. Hell, I'm still not even 17!" Justin answered. "They had them all cremated, and gave their ashes to me. That wasn't the worst part."

"Then what was?" Brock asked, in a curious but also remorseful tone.

"When I went back to school, and they didn't everyone knew something was up. The whole school new we hung out and when I was the only one to return, they knew something was up. So I did what I just did now. I played that footage on the morning announcements." Justin responded.

Volt had gotten up from his spot next to Pikachu and started hugging Justin, who gladly returned it.

"So after this, my grades started to slip, I became depressed, and used the rest of the funds for my team to buy this ship. I fixed it up and moved onto it after I dropped out of high school, and was working as a fisherman until Lugia transported me here." Justin continued.

"So that's what Lugia meant when he explained why you came." Ash said, remembering when Justin had arrived three days ago.

"Yah, I had wished that I could go to another world and start fresh." Justin stated. "But the worst part about this was that not even six months before I lost my buddy, my grandfather died."

At this everyone gave Justin a remorseful look, just learning the loss the teenager had endured in not even a 12 month period.

"He left me this, along with all his army gear and medals." Justin continued as he pulled out the handgun in his holster. "This was his M1911A1 handgun that he was issued when he went to fight in World War II."

At this remark, Drew remembered something he read on a book Justin owned.

"What exactly is World War II?" Drew asked.

"World War II was a war that lasted from September 1, 1939 to September 2, 1945. It is the largest war ever fought, with more than 50 countries involved. It was a war between the Allies, which the United States was a part of, and the Axis." Justin answered, while returning the handgun to its holster. "But as much as I do enjoy history and World War II, I can't give you a proper explanation. You can read more in depth in the books I have in my room if you want."

At the word books, Ash released a groan which fueled a much needed laugh.

"Well, you certainly meant it when you said you needed to explain some things." May said.

"Yah, it feels good getting that stuff off my chest. Thanks for listening everyone. And thanks for the hug earlier May." Justin stated, while getting "Your welcomes" from the group and a grunt from Paul.

"But just forget about the crying part. It's embarrassing." Justin continued.

"There's nothing wrong with showing your feelings!" May said. "Plus you looked cute when you were."

This comment sparked a blush from Justin, an annoyed look from Drew, smirking glances from everyone else, and caused May to blush, become bug-eyed, and quickly cover her face with her hands.

At that, Justin quietly whispered "Thanks" to May, and broke the silence by saying everyone should go to bed. Everyone gladly took the suggestion, as lines were formed for the bathrooms to brush teeth and use the toilet. Brock unpacked his sleeping bad as Justin got the bunks folded out.

Once everyone was ready for bed, bunks were selected. Ash, Drew, and Paul took the top bunks while Misty took the one under Ash, May the one under Drew, and Dawn took the remaining one under Paul. Brock meanwhile crawled into his sleeping bad, while Justin went to his cabin and shut the door.

As everyone had slowly nodded off to sleep, May remained awake. She heard what she thought was a faint crying sound coming from Justin's cabin, so she decided to investigate.

* * *

Not sure if that counts as a cliffhanger, but it's my attempt at one. I think this chapter is about as big a curve ball that I could have thrown at this point in the story (not going to say any spoilers). Next chapter will hopefully be done by the end of the weekend and posted. And as always, please review!


	5. Old Secrets Revealed, New Ones Created

A/N: Not really sure how to describe the events in this chapter, other than I hope people don't flame about it. The thing I can tell you is that it will only have two characters in the majority of it, and a nice juicy plot twist.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

May cautiously got out of her bunk, making sure not to wake anyone, and proceeded to follow the sound she herd. It led her to Justin's cabin, and with curiosity getting the better of her, she entered. Once inside, she quickly shut the door to make sure that nobody else stumbled in on her and begun to look around for the noise. It was easy for her to find, but it also saddened her.

She found Justin asleep, but having an apparent nightmare that was making him toss, turn, and cry. She quietly made her way over to him, and sat down on his bed. As she did, the motion of the bed sinking down awoke Justin from his slumber, much to both his and May's reliefs.

"May, what are you doing here? Why are you in my room?" Justin asked as he sat up, identifying the intruder in his room.

"I couldn't fall asleep. As I was lying in my bunk, I heard a noise coming from in here, and investigated it. I saw you having a nightmare, and crying again." May responded with a worried face.

Justin noticed this, along with remembering May's kindness from before, decided to open up to her even more.

"I was. It was the same one I had right after my buddies were killed. But instead of getting support from home, I was ridiculed for getting them killed, and shunned by everyone." Justin said, explaining his dream.

May responded at first with a shocked face, but then it changed to one of comfort. Justin noticed this, and invited he closer.

"Here, sit next to me." Justin said as he patted a spot next to him in his bed. May was quick to accept.

"I see that you need some comfort." May said as she moved from the foot of the bed up to the spot by the headboard that Justin had designated. "Anyone who has gone through what you have would."

"I do, and thanks for this, and for earlier, during the video." Justin said as he gave May a small grin.

"No problem." May cooed back. "You're the only guy who I can actually get along with."

"Why's that?" Justin curiously asked.

"Ash is so dense, that it takes him hours to figure out simple ideas. Paul is just grim and cold. Brock, he can be nice, but he goes gaga over every girl he sees, plus he's six years older than me. Drew can be nice sometimes, but most of the time he just insults me." May explained.

"You still haven't said why you can get along with me." Justin reminded May.

"I know, I'm getting to that!" May exclaimed while giving Justin a slight punch on the shoulder.

"Ow, that hurt." Justin playfully said while May gave him a snide glance.

"Ignoring that, may I finish now?" May said, while giving Justin a playful grin.

"Please do." He responded.

"Well, you just seem so nice, and caring. You don't hide your emotions, plus you opened up to me. Nobody else, not even Ash has done that." May said, finishing her explanation.

In response to this, Justin's face got a pained but hopeful look on it. May noticed this, and neither one talked for a few minutes. It was Justin who broke the silence.

"You really mean all that? Even the stuff from before, saying that I was cute?" Justin asked, still with a pained face.

"Of course I do, even the cute part. Why wouldn't I?" May replied, developing a blush while noticing Justin's pained face.

"Other girls have tried to take advantage of me before by saying things like that." Justin said, as May understood right away what he meant.

"How many times?" She asked in a curious but concerned voice.

"Four girls, four different times. Each time was the same routine. Say false things to toy with my emotions just to embarrass the fuck outta me in the end." Justin explained, on the verge of tears.

Seeing this, May scooted closer to him and gave him another hug, but stayed close once it was ended.

"Thanks, I needed that." Justin said as he gave a weak smile.

"I know you did. Your past is a mess. But what I don't understand is why you let the same thing happen to you four times! You said you were a military commando, and those guys are as smart as rocket scientists!" May scolded Justin, while getting a pained face in return.

"In their specific job departments, yes. In the department of girls, not so much." Justin replied. May gave him a curious face in response.

"Wait, you mean you have no experience with girls?" May asked as her face went from curious to shock.

"Nope." Justin flatly responded. "Never had a girlfriend, never kissed a girl, never held hands. Hell, I didn't even hug one until you gave me a hug earlier today."

As Justin finished, a blush grew on his face. May noticed this, and her face developed another blush.

"So you're saying that you haven't done anything with a girl?" May said, with a shocked look on her face. Justin only nodded in response, and her face turned into one of comfort.

"Just promise me one thing May, don't tell anyone else." Justin asked the girl sitting very close on his right.

"As long as you don't tell what I'm about to tell you." May said, accepting Justin's wish, and getting a curious face from him.

"Let me guess, something similar to mine?" Justin asked. May only nodded in response.

"Kinda." May stated, but with an embarrassed tone. "I've hugged and held hands with guys before, but not in a romantic way. I've never kissed a guy before, or had a boyfriend."

Justin gave off a weak smile, accepting what May had had said, and giving off an internal sigh, as he finally found someone in the same boat he was in. May returned the smile, and silence descended once again on the pair. This time, it was May who broke the silence.

"It's getting late. I should probably head back to my bunk." May said.

Before she could move, Justin grabbed her wrist.

"Please, don't go yet. This is the first time in a long while where I'm actually at peace." Justin said, pleading with the girl.

"Well, um, I guess I can stay a little longer." May responded, with another blush developing. Justin released his grip on her hand, and gave her one of Ash's trademark grins. She laughed at this.

As May returned to her spot, she put her hand down for support. Justin did the same thing, but not paying attention to what May had done, accidently placed it on her's. He quickly retracted it, with blushes forming on both their faces.

"Um, s-sorry May." Justin apologized with an embarrassed look, and blush, on his face.

"D-don't be. It was soft a-and warm." May responded, equally embarrassed, but with a lighter blush. "You can put it back if you want."

"Uh…. Alright I will." Justin responded, while nervously returning his hand.

Once it was back, May made this first bold move of the night. She quickly moved her hand so that it was holding Justin's and intertwined their fingers. May nervously looked at Justin's face while blushing, and got a smile back, along with a slight blush.

They remained this way for a few more minutes until Justin made the second bold move, or question, of the night.

"May, d-do you like me?" Justin asked, summoning all the courage he had, but had his voice crack at the end.

May gasped a tad, but then blushed and nodded. Justin gave a smile.

"Do you like me back?" May questioned. Justin blushed and nodded in response.

"Why wouldn't I? You're the first girl who was actually kind to me. The first girl who accepted what I had done and didn't use my emotions as entertainment. Not to mention that you shared a very personal secret about yourself with me. That's something only a caring person would do." Justin said, getting a small smile from May.

During this, both teens faced each other and moved closer, with now only a few inches separating their faces. But once again, silence descended on the pair. This time, it wasn't an awkward one, but a calming one.

"Do you, ya know, wanna well…" May started as she broke the silence, only to trail off in embarrassment once she thought about what she was say.

Justin got what she meant, and made the third bold move of the night, by dissipating the space between their lips. May, shocked at first, quickly closed her eyes after realizing what was happening. They remained locked for a few more seconds, but then Justin withdrew from May, leaving both of them with blushed faces.

"Um… sorry i-if that's n-not what you m-meant." Justin said, with an embarrassed look on his face and a large blush across it.

"N-no, don't b-be. T-that's what I meant." May replied, with a similar blush, but with a reassuring smile. Seeing this, Justin smiled back.

"I'm sorry if it wasn't that good of a kiss." Justin said, still blushing. "I haven't kissed anyone before." May just chuckled at Justin's Ash-like statement.

"Well, you know what they say, practice makes perfect." May said, with a mischievous smile on her face.

"What do you mea…" Justin started, before May's lips met his again and cut him off. Happily understanding what May meant returned the kiss. The couple continued to "practice" for a few minutes, until Justin looked at the clock.

"It's almost 2 AM. We should probably catch some sleep." Justin said, remorsefully ending the most blissful few minutes of his life.

"Yah, we should. Justin, you don't mind if I sleep with you tonight, do you?" May asked, making the final bold move of the evening.

Justin only gave her a big smile.

"Sure. But let's try and keep this on the down low May." Justin said as they both crawled beneath the covers.

"Why Justin?" May asked, not understanding what he meant.

"The first is that the last thing we need right now is more drama on this ship. We can still be together in secret, but not in public. The second, is that Drew has a crush on you." Justin explained.

"What!? How is that possible!?" May shouted, enraged that the high-and-mighty Drew was trying to get her to be another of his zombie slaves.

"He teases you a lot. Even I know that means he's hiding his feelings for you." Justin continued, while giving May a hug, trying to calm her down. Hearing this, May got a mischievous smile.

"Then we'll test your theory." May said. Now it was Justin's turn to become confused.

"What are you getting at May?" He asked while raising an eyebrow. May giggled at this.

"Simple. I'll have Drew follow us when we can get some alone time, after I plant a recording device on him. That way when he sees us, we'll get his reaction." May explained, beaming in her evil scheme.

"One problem. Just how will you plant the recorder and then retrieve it?" Justin asked, while already having an idea of what May planned to do.

"Easy. I'll slip it in his pants pocket once he lays out his clothing choice for the day. Then once he changes out of them, I'll retrieve it." May said, with an even bigger grin.

"That could work May. You're already developing into a little spy." Justin said, complementing May's idea.

"I'll take that as a complement, coming from you." She said, while giving him a quick kiss.

They both looked over at the digital clock, which read 2:30 AM.

"Goodnight Justin." May said, placing her head on his chest to use as a pillow, while wrapping her arms around him. Justin blushed a little at this.

"Goodnight May." Justin said, placing his hands on May's back in a protective manner, ensuring that she wouldn't move. May grinned at this while giving off a small giggle to reassure Justin's actions. Within a few minutes, both were fast asleep.

The next morning:

Dawn was the first to wake up, and noticed May's bunk was empty. She quickly, but quietly, searched around the _Enterprise_ for her, but to no avail. Then she remembered that she hadn't been in Justin's quarters yet. Getting a mischievous grin on her face as she realized where May was, she quickly proceeded to wake everyone up, except for Pikachu and Volt, as she remembered that Pikachus like their beauty sleep.

Once everyone was up, Dawn led them over to Justin's quarters, and quietly opened the door. What everyone say inside shocked all, including Dawn. They saw May using Justin's chest as a pillow, and Justin having his arms around May in a protective fashion.

Misty and Dawn both cooed a quiet "Aww...", realizing what they had discovered. Ash just snickered, while Paul grunted. Brock's jaw dropped and he mumbled something along the lines of "Even the new guy gets a girl…". Drew developed a jealous expression and quickly walked away.

Once everyone was done peeping in on a private moment, Dawn quickly shut the door. They all agreed to bring this up at a later point, but Dawn said that she and Misty would handle it. The guys just shrugged in agreement.

May and Justin, however, were still blissfully asleep and didn't realize that their new secret had been discovered.

* * *

I just love a good plot twist, don't you? Before people start to flame about this, don't worry, as there will be contestshipping later in the story. Without giving away too many spoilers, May is torn between Drew and Justin, only to have an incident make the choice of who she will end up with. In either the next chapter, or chapter 7, Dawn and Misty will confront May about what happened, and then go and interrogate Justin about it as well. Finally, as usual, please review and I hope you guys are enjoying reading this story as much as I am writing it!


	6. The Truth About Love

A/N: First thing is that I'm really sorry that I haven't updated this sooner. My Physics and AP Computer Science classes have been kicking my ass lately, so I've been spending more time on those. Secondly, I decided to change the title to something more appropriate to the story, and the previous title didn't roll off the tongue as well as the new one does. Finally, I have my mid-winter break from school coming up next week, so I'll hopefully be updating a lot more. I'll end my rant with that.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, but I do own this story and its OCs. Also, all firearms and military vehicles are owned by their respective trademark and patent holders.

* * *

"What time is it?" Justin yawned as he awoke from his slumber, May still cradled in his arms. He then glanced at the clock and was shocked at the time. "It's already noon!"

Justin's outburst awoke the sleeping May, who then herself was shocked at the time. "Well, we overslept, didn't we?"

"Yah we did May." Justin responded. "But there's something we should talk about before we leave my cabin."

"Last night, am I right?" May asked, in a semi-sarcastic tone.

"Yah, last night. But before you jump to conclusions, let me just say that I did enjoy it." Justin said, trying to reassure the girl.

"Well, if we both enjoyed it, then what's the problem?" May cooed back.

"We can't be together May." Justin stated, looking May directly in her blue eyes as he did.

"But… why?" May sadly questioned him, while her eyes started to water.

"Please don't cry…." Justin told the girl, while giving her a reassuring hug. "The reason is that, well, you remind me too much of another girl that I loved."

This confession from Justin had made May stop crying, while she asked the only question anyone would ask in this situation. "Who was she?"

"Her name was Sapphire, and she looked almost exactly like you do." Justin said, while reaching for his wallet on his nightstand. "We lived very close to each other and were even closer friends. We never dated or anything like that, but the day before I was going to ask her to the homecoming dance, she went missing."

He then showed May a photo of himself with an arm over a girl that did look almost, if not exactly, like May did. The girl had May's face alright, and her hairstyle, just without the bandana. Her hair was brown, and she had blue eyes as well.

"Wow…. she does look like me. But, did you ever find out what happened to her?" May asked, while starring at the photo.

"Nobody ever found out what happened. I was deeply hurt, mainly because I never got the chance to tell her my true feelings. Promise me this May, that you, or anyone else on this ship, will not make the same mistake." Justin said, with a hurt expression on his face.

"I promise Justin. I just feel really bad about this though." May promised, while giving Justin a look of apology mixed with pity.

"Don't be. You didn't know about it." Justin responded. "A couple days after she went missing, me and a few buddies went out searching for her. They all were friends with her too. When we didn't find any trace of her for over a month, we had to give up. None of us were ever the same. We had changed, for the better and the worse."

"So, what did you guys do next?" May asked, relieved that Justin wasn't mad at her.

"We did the only thing we could do to take our mind off of our failure. We started up the Specter Rangers." Justin answered, while May gave him a nod. "We did a few missions, with our best one being when we went and saved the crew of a downed UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter that had crashed in Afghanistan."

"That's a country, right?" May asked. Justin nodded in response.

"It is. Terrorist run the country." Justin said. "After we got them out, both the US Army and the CIA, the Central Intelligence Agency, were impressed. As a result, we were brought on as a black operations team. That was…. about six months ago."

"So that's why you did all that military stuff. You did it to try and make up for the failure of finding your friend, and to take your mind off the pain of her loss." May said, piecing together Justin's tale.

"Yah, so when my buddies died last month, I had had about as much as I could take. I resigned and went back to my old life. As I told the group yesterday, I couldn't really do anything after that. Then, about a week before I was transported here, I made a wish on a shooting star to take me to a place where I could make a fresh start." Justin stated, while May gave him a quick hug to try and cheer him up.

"You really haven't had an easy life, have you?" May asked, already knowing the answer.

"No, I haven't." Justin responded. "But yah, that's why we can't be together May. You just remind me too much of her. You look like her, you sound like her, you act like her, hell, if I didn't know any better I'd say you ARE her! I just hope you understand May."

"I understand." May stated, in a semi-happy tone.

"Well, now you can go after Drew." Justin said, giving May a snide smile. "It's so obvious that you two are head-over-heal for each other."

"WHAT!? ARE YOU CRAZY!?" May shouted, while a deep scarlet blush developed on her face. "Me and salad head, no way!"

"Well, first off, you're blushing, so that has to mean you're lying." Justin said, revealing what he'd observed. "Plus on the first night I was here, I saw you using Drew as a pillow to sleep on, and both of you looked quite happy and relaxed."

Hearing this, May's blush deepened and she moved her hands to cover her face, while turning away.

"I only did that so he wouldn't be alone! Can't I do something nice for a friend?" May yelled, trying to deflect Justin's accusations about her feelings. It didn't work.

"Sure, cause all good friends use sleep with each other and use them as pillows." Justin said, giving May another snide grin. "You two did look cute together though."

"We…. we did? Just because I enjoyed him putting his arms around my waist and sleeping with him doesn't mean anything." May nervously asked, while unintentionally giving away her true feelings.

"It sure seems like it, based on your reaction and response." Justin said, trying to both cheer up the girl, and to get her to finally open up about her crush.

"That doesn't mean anything!" May angrily replied, confirming Justin's theory as another blush appeared on her face.

"Don't worry May, he likes you back. He teases you because he's afraid to show his true feelings, just like when Ash and Misty fight." Justin said, trying to comfort the girl. "And did you really think all those roses he gave you were for your Beautifly?"

"Don't compare us to Ash and Misty! Our situation is completely different!" May shouted once more, becoming even more flustered in the process. "And the roses don't mean anything!"

"Well, red roses are a sign of love, so they do mean something." Justin replied. "Also, you and Drew fight a lot, for the same reason as Ash and Misty. You guys are in the same boat as them, no pun intended."

"Ha. Funny… As if I would ever like a stuck up guy like him!" May said, another blush forming on her face.

"The sooner you admit it May, the sooner I can help you out." Justin said, while looking May straight in her eye's to get his point across.

"Ok… well, maybe I do like him, a little." May replied, in a quiet and embarrassed tone. Justin only smiled at his victory.

"I knew it! I knew it!" Justin exclaimed, regaining his composer a second later. "So once were dressed for the day, I'll go talk to him about this, unless you want to."

"Um… well, seeing as though he looked pretty jealous at us last night, I think I should. He seemed as though he wanted to tear your head off." May answered. Justin only laughed at this.

"He could never take me in a fight. I know SOCP, which is the hand-to-hand combat technique that the US Army Special Forces use." Justin said, with a tad bit of his ego showing. May just punched him in his shoulder.

"Don't turn into another Ash with an inflated ego." She said, condemning Justin's most recent statement. He only laughed at this.

"Don't worry. I don't want to turn into a dense guy who can't realize when he has got so many things going for him." Justin replied. "But back to the matter at hand. I agree with you on your call. This is between you and him, not me. But you should tell him what we did last night, instead of him finding it out on his own. Honesty is an integral part of any relationship. Oh, and take the photo I showed you as evidence to back you up."

"Well, if you say so. But what if he gets mad at me?" May worriedly asked, while taking the photo Justin handed her.

"If he does, he'll go through hell and high water in the boot camp I have planned for the guys onboard." Justin smugly replied. "Not as if he won't already be doing that."

May just laughed at this, knowing that Justin was completely serious.

"Well, I better get dressed and find him then." May said, getting up while walking to the door. "And Justin, thanks for the encouragement."

"So we are even now?" He replied.

"Yep. We are. I just hope you're right about him." She replied with a worried look.

"Don't worry. If he's not into you, then after this, he may be. Just be confident." Justin said, reassuring the girl. And with that, May left his cabin with a smile on her face.

A few minutes later, Justin exited his cabin, dressed in his jungle combat gear. He wore black boots, with a jungle pattern BDU (Battle Dress Uniform) on with his sleeves rolled up. He wore a black ballistic vest, along with a modified tactical belt that could hold his pokeballs, now painted in the same jungle camouflage. On his right thigh, he had his M1911A1 in its holster, equipped with a sound suppressor, along with two extra magazines in the pocket adjacent to it. On his left, he wore more pockets, also filled with extra magazines. He had on a ballistic helmet, painted in the same jungle camo, along with a radio underneath and black sunglasses. In his hand he held his trademark skull balaclava, and wore black figureless gloves. Over his shoulder, he had a KRISS Vector SMG, equipped with a fore grip, holographic sight, sound suppressor, and a tactical flashlight/laser combo. He looked as if he was about to go to war, which wasn't that far off.

He then went up on deck and put on his balaclava, and without anyone seeing him, jumped into the ocean and swam to the nearby island.

Two minutes later onboard the _Enterprise_:

Misty and Dawn were waiting patiently in the galley, hoping to get an explanation out of May for what they had discovered earlier that morning. As they waited, they started to speculate a little on what had occurred.

"So Misty" Dawn began "what do you think happened last night between those two?"

"I don't know, but they sure did look comfortable this morning." Misty replied.

"Yah they did. You think they did anything?" The younger girl asked.

"Only one way to find out for sure, and that's to ask May." Misty wisely answered.

And, as if by either coincidence or fate, May walked into the galley right as Misty finished her statement.

"Hi Misty! Hi Dawn!" May cheerfully greeted. Misty and Dawn just gave her slyful smiles, trying their best to hide their knowledge.

"So May, sleep well last night?" Dawn questioned. "You weren't in your bunk when you got up, so I thought you slept outside."

"Wha… what are you talking about!? I was in my bunk all night!" May nervously exclaimed, fearing the worst.

"You weren't May. Dawn and I both saw your empty bunk this morning when she woke all of us up." Misty stated, while getting a "don't-give-away-what-we-know" glance from Dawn.

"Why did Dawn get everyone up? She lose her hairbrush again?" May questioned, trying her best to get Dawn to spill what she knew. And it worked.

"No, I didn't lose my hairbrush! I saw you and Justin sleeping together, with his arms wrapped tightly around you, and you hugging him back!" Dawn angrily shouted, but then realized what she had said in her hairbrush enfuled rage. "Uh oh….."

"YOU SAW WHAT!?" May screamed at the top of her lungs, going into a rage that only occurred when you messed with her food. "WHEN AND HOW!? I WANT ANSWERS NOW!"

"Look what you did Dawn…." Misty said, scolding the youngest girl. "May, try to calm down. Ok, so what, you slept with the new guy, big deal."

"IT IS A BIG DEAL OK! I DON'T WANT YOU GUYS JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS!" May shouted back.

"May, try to calm down. I'm sorry." Dawn apologized. "It's just when I got up and you weren't in you bunk, I got concerned. I know you're a late sleeper, so you wouldn't have been up at 8:30. I looked all over the ship for you, and was going to ask Justin if he'd seen you, when I stumbled upon you guys."

"Well, when you put it that way Dawn, I can see that you meant no harm." May said, finally calming down. "Apology accepted."

"Yippee! Thanks May!" Dawn ecstatically exclaimed, jumping up from her seat and giving May a quick hug.

"So, just what did you and Justin do last night that got you into that position. You didn't do the deed, did you?" Misty asked, giving a questioning glance. May's face blushed at this comment.

"NO! WE DIDN'T HAVE SEX! WE JUST KISSED OKAY!?" May angrily shouted, before covering her mouth after listening to what she had just said.

"YOU KISSED HIM!?" Dawn and Misty both exclaimed, shocked at what their friend had just admitted, while also both envious that May had gotten kissed before they had.

"Well, let me explain it to you guys." May suggested, getting "yeses" from her friends. She then proceeded to tell them what had occurred the night before and earlier that day, but omitting the part about when she had confessed that she liked Drew.

"Wow. You had an eventful night." Misty stated after hearing the tale.

"But I feel bad for Justin though. What are the odds that a girl he liked looks just like you?" Dawn asked.

"I don't know, but here's the picture." May answered, while handing the picture of Justin and Sapphire to May and Dawn.

"Wow…. she looks exactly like you!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Yah, she could be your twin for all we know." Misty added.

"But, anyways, have you guys seen Drew at all? I should explain to him what happened." May asked, trying her best to hide her secret.

"Yah, I saw him up on deck about half an hour ago. He looked really pissed." Misty replied. "But why do you need to explain it to him?"

"Well, you know….." May said, trailing off as a blush began to grow on her face. She quickly turned her head and left the galley. Misty and Dawn remained though.

"Who could have guessed, Misty?" Dawn asked, as they discussed what May had told them.

"I sure wouldn't have been able to. But still, I can't help but wonder why May wanted to talk to Drew. It's not like they like each other. They fight all the time!" Misty replied.

"They fight to hide their true feelings for each other, just like you and Ash do!" Dawn replied, showing her knowledge of romance. Misty blushed heavily at this comment.

"That's not why we fight! We're just opposites and disagree about many things!" She shouted.

"But, you know what they say, opposites attract." Dawn said, giving Misty a suspicious smile.

"Just like you and Mr. Joyful." Misty fired back. Dawn immediately gave a shocked expression while blushing madly.

Before Dawn could reply, both girls were startled by a rather loud explosion. Curiosity getting the better of them, they made their way on deck to see what was going on. As they got near the port side of the ship, they noticed that May, Drew, Ash, Paul, and Brock, had gather, but Justin was missing. Before they could ask his location, both girls now saw what everyone else was staring at, and what had made the loud boom.

* * *

Hopefully this isn't as bad a cliffhanger as I think it is. Well, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and expect and update in the next couple of days. And, as always, please comment and review to help me out with my writing, and to tell me what you guys think of the story so far!


	7. Searching Their Feelings

A/N: I have no legitimate excuse on not updating this story for 9 days… my bad…. Anyway, this chapter will have a surprise in store, well, kinda a surprise, and kinda a plot point. Well, enough of my blabbering, and on with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. Most people should know this by now. Nor do I own the Boy Scouts of America, even though I was one years ago.

* * *

_Five minutes prior to the explosion on the island:_

Justin was happy to be back in his element: the wilderness. From being a Boy Scout as a kid to his missions with his buddies, he always liked being out of the city and in the forest, jungle, lake or river, and the occasional desert. Islands were his favorite though. You could easily memorize small ones, and on larger ones, there were always new areas to explore, which was what he was doing currently.

His first few minutes on the island were spent walking the perimeter, memorizing and mapping it. He'd estimated it was about a mile and a half long by two miles wide. He also noted that almost three fourths of the island was very densely packed with trees, while the remaining quarter, mainly the north shore, had very little foliage at all. He'd also noticed a stone structure in a clearing as he mapped the shoreline, but was unable to get to it.

Returning to that spot, he took the first pokeball off his belt and summoned his trusty partner.

"Dragonite, I need your help." Justin said as he summoned his yellow-orange dragon. "Can you to fly me above the tree tops so that I can see what the interior of the island looks like."

Dragonite happily complied as Justin climbed on his back, and an instant later, they were soaring just above the tropical palms. It was then that Justin spotted what he was looking for.

"Dragonite, land in that clearing by the stone structure." Justin commanded. Dragonite complied once more.

Once on the ground again, he recalled Dragonite back into his pokeball to look around the ruins. From what he could observe, the ruins consisted of the foundations of two stone buildings, and a half-destroyed stone archway. This archway was what drew his attention.

The archway was about six feet tall and about three feet wide. The upper-right corner of it was missing, but other than that, it looked mostly intact. It was then that Justin saw an inscription on a half-buried stone next to the arch.

"To open the doorway to the Ether, place a block of Compound 4 on the Alter. When the energy is transferred, the doorway shall open and the Creator shall appear." Justin said, reading the inscription aloud. "Hmm… What did it mean by Compound 4? And what Alter is it talking about?"

Right as Justin spoke those words, the stone foundations behind him reassembled into a stone alter. Remembering his past week, Justin concluded this was the most sain thing that had happened to him thus far.

"Compound 4…. When the energy is transferred… Wait, could it really be that?" Justin thought aloud as he walked over the Alter. "Well, if it isn't then there's gonna be one big mess…"

The only thing that he could think of that matched the description, was a block of C4, or Compound 4, explosives. So, he placed a block of C4 on the Alter, armed it, and took cover behind a large stone.

"Well, might as well find out if I'm right." Justin said, as he pressed the clacker in his hand (A/N: A clacker is a type of detonator used to detonate C4.) What happened next, amazed him.

As the dust cleared away from the blast zone, Justin poked his head around the corner of the stone he was taking cover behind. The Alter, once just a plain stone grey in color, now took on the color of marble, and had golden lines flowing off it, that lead to the arch. The arch itself had been fixed, and now sported the same design as the Alter. Inside of the archway, a yellow mass began to spin, and soon exploded in a ray of light, and an earthshattering boom that caused stone and dust to be thrown into the sky. When everything cleared, Justin saw a Pokémon most people had doubted even existed anymore, and an all-too-familiar Pokémon landing right next to him.

_Current time, back onboard the Enterprise:_

Once the dust from the second explosion had settled, the group onboard the ship saw a glow coming out of the jungle. They stared in awestruck until someone unexpected asked an expected question.

"Hey, where's Justin?" Ash asked, for once not being dense in a situation.

"I don't know." Brock replied. "Any of you guys seen him?"

Drew shook his head in response, while Paul grunted something that sounded like "No.". Volt and Pikachu, who had been napping peacefully until the two explosions woke them up, also answered "No", with Volt being more concerned. Misty and Dawn also shook their heads, but shot May a sly glance, knowing that she was the last person to see him. May managed to get out a "Nope" without seeming too guilt withholding the truth.

"Well, he's most likely on that island." Brock said, pointing the landmass east of the ship. "So that's where we'll look. If he was on the ship, we would have seen him by now."

"So we gotta go search for him?" Ash whinned, not wanting to go look for the military commando.

"Yah, he said he was some type of "special ops" guy, so he can probably take care of himself." Misty added, backing Ash up for once.

Volt, having heard two people not concerned over his master, gave the duo a crackling Thunderbolt, hoping to convince them to change their minds. It worked, for the most part.

"All right, we'll look for him…" Ash and Misty both said at once. Pikachu was doubled-over in laughter.

"Did you teach him that?" Ash asked, already knowing the answer. Pikachu simply responded with a nod, as he was still undergoing a severe case of the giggles. Volt snickered a little as well.

'Okay, enough you two." Brock said, trying his best to regain control over the situation. "We should form search parties to speed up the search."

Pikachu, knowing who he wanted as a partner, quickly jumped into Misty's arms.

"Well Ash, guess I'm going with you." Misty said cheerfully, as she gave Pikachu a scratch on his head.

"I guess you are." Ash responded, while Pikachu snuggled even closer to Misty. To reclaim Pikachu back, he pulled out a bottle of the electric rodent's favorite substance. "Hey Pikachu, if you get back on my shoulder, this entire bottle of ketchup is yours." Pikachu needed no further encouragement, as he bounded for the bottle, and then Ash's shoulder. Ash then gave Misty a smug "I won!" glance, and got a "I'll win the next round!" expression back.

While all that excitement had been going on, May had partnered up with Drew, and Dawn had partnered up with Paul, as Brock has stated he would remain aboard the ship to search for Justin, or in case he came back on his own.

Volt, who had disappeared below deck when the pairing-off began, reappeared on deck with a couple interesting accessories. He had on a jungle camouflaged tactical vest, along with a small pair of dog tags and a miniaturized combat helmet, that look at least 70 years old. It took no guessing to how he'd obtained those items.

"Aww… Volt looks so cute!" Dawn squealed as she examined Volt's new fashion, much to the annoyance of both the electric rodent, and her violet-headed partner.

"Justin made those for you, didn't he?" Ash asked, getting a nod in return.

"Well, I can definitely see the resemblance." Brock stated, getting a salute from Volt.

"Ehh… he looks okay…" Drew said, earning glances from everyone, including Paul, and a near miss Thundershock from Volt. He quickly got the message.

"Ignore him Volt, you look good in your gear." May said, trying to cheer him up. It worked, as Volt quickly jumped into her arms, gave her a hug, and then returned to the deck of the ship.

"Well, we should get started looking." Brock said, once again regaining control of the situation. "Ash and Misty, you guys take the north end of the island. May and Drew, you guys take the middle section, and Paul and Dawn, you two take the south end of the island."

"Hey Brock" Ash stated, looking up into the sky "the search won't be necessary."

"Why's that Ash?" Brock replied, now curious, along with everyone else, at what Ash was looking at.

What Ash had saw, before he lost sight to inform Brock, a Dragonite flying from the island to the ship, with a rider on its back.

"Cause I'm already here." Justin said flatly, as everyone turned to greet him, with Volt being the most affectionate. "So, you guys are all wondering what the hell that explosion was? Am I right?"

"So what exactly happened?" Misty said, with a slight tang of disappointment in her voice.

"Well…" Justin started out, but was cut off by a voice everybody on that ship knew. "Maybe you shouldn't ask him, but the Creator." Lugia chimed in, getting surprised glances from everyone.

"Wait…. You mean" Ash started, but was cut off by Lugia.

"Arceus, yes I do." Lugia stated, as the aforementioned pokémon then appeared next him.

"Hello everyone. And hello to Ash, Dawn, Brock, and Pikachu, it has been a while." Arceus stated, getting jaw drops from everyone except Justin.

"So Arceus, mind telling them what happened?" Justin asked, not wanting to have to tell another tale. Arceus simply nodded in response as he began retelling the events of the past few minutes.

_Island ruins/portal, right after everything cleared:_

Justin looked in awe at the pokémon levitating in front of him. He couldn't, well in this case he could, recounting his previous experiences only that week, that the Creator of the Pokémon World, Arceus, was a few feet from him. He then felt the ground shake as Lugia landed next to him.

"So, one of the Aura Trio has summoned me." Arceus boomed, trying to intimidate Justin. It didn't work.

"I expected better from a God!" Justin taunted. "I mean really, intimidation? That is what schoolyard bullies do."

"Arceus, I hate to tell you, but he is right." Lugia chuckled, finding the sight in front of him rather amusing.

"Lugia, let us not forget that I made you." Arceus responded, almost irking a fight from Lugia.

"Yes, but you don't control my actions." Lugia countered. Justin just stood there with a flat expression, in disbelief that these so-called "Legendary Pokémon" were behaving like two children.

"Alright, that's enough out of you two." Justin shouted, visibly irked. Both pokémon stopped their behavior at his bold statement. "Now as much as I would like to chit-chat, what did you say about an Aura Trio?"

"Ah yes, the Aura Trio. It is made up of three humans who have control over Aura. That must have been self-explanatory. Each member of the trio has a certain force that binds the three together. They are Courage, Power, and Wisdom. You, Justin, have the force of Power." Arceus explained.

"Great….. Now everything just went to Zelda… What's next, an ocarina that control time or a sword that vanquishes evil?" Justin mumbled to himself. Despite his best efforts, both Lugia and Arceus heard him and started to chuckle. "Great…"

"No, it is none of those things. It was simply a coincidence, just like the insignia on your arm." Arceus continued.

"What, my unit's patch?" Justin asked, turning so the pokémon could see it better.

The mentioned patch had black circle with a gold ring surrounding it. Inside, there were three yellow triangles with crossed assault rifles on top of them. The layer above the rifles held a skull with wearing a black and gold beret. It was a simple, but distinct, design.

"The triangles on it represent bravery, honor, and self-sacrifice." Justin explained. "They were the three guiding principles for my unit."

"No need to explain any further." Arceus stated. "The three forces I described will guide you and your friends just the same. So, can you now guess who would fill the other two roles?"

"Well, the only other person who I know of that can control Aura is Ash, and he certainly isn't the wisest person I know. He has done a lot of courageous act though. He controls Courage then?" Justin answered.

"You are correct. The third member, Wisdom, has yet to have his powers awakened." Arceus replied. "But do not threat. You already know him. Bring him here, and he shall receive them. When he does though, you must make one last sacrifice."

"Which is?" Justin asked, hoping it didn't involve death in any way.

"You must let your Aura Compass, your pokémon who can control Aura, transfer his power and return to the Ether." Arceus stated.

Justin, already realizing what he had to do, called out Lucario, as if wanting confirmation.

"Lucario, is what Arceus says true?" Justin asked, eagerly hoping for an answer he knew he wouldn't receive.

"He speaks the truth. I am sorry. You have truly been a wonderful master." Lucario responded, head held high in the face of his destiny. "But do not fret; I will always be with you, as long as you can sense Aura."

"Thanks Lucario. So Arceus, who is it? Who's Wisdom?" Justin asked.

"I shall give you a hint. His hair matches the color of greed, but his power lets him avoid its temptation." Arceus said.

"Greed…. That means money… and money is green…" Justin thought aloud. "Green… so it's… Drew!?"

"You are correct." Arceus answered. "We shall return with you to your ship to retrieve him. Lucario shall stay here and prepare for the transfer."

"Well, goodbye Lucario." Justin said, as he called out Dragonite and got on its back. "I'll always remember you."

"Like I told you, I will always be with you." Lucario stated, as he released a small blue orb that was immediately absorbed by Justin. "Farewell."

And with that, Arceus, Lugia, and Justin riding on Dragonite, began the short journey to the ship.

_Back on the Enterprise, current time:_

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. I can sense Aura!?" Drew exclaimed at the revelation of his power.

"Not yet, but you will be able to soon." Arceus replied. "As such, I should go fetch your tutor. He is by far the best Aura Guardian that I know of."

"The Meowth is out of the bag Arceus, they already know it's Sir Aaron" Lugia stated, earning laughs from all the humans and a flat glance from Arceus.

"Well, then I guess I'll be on my way…" Arceus stated, right before he teleported back to the Alter. The group then started to break off into pairs.

_Ash and Misty:_

"Cool Drew! You'll be able to sense Aura!" Ash exclaimed, giving Drew a pat on the back.

"Ash, give him some space. He's most likely overwhelmed." Misty said, scolding Ash. "Let's give him some time alone." She then took Ash's hand and led him to some seats in the stern of the ship.

_Brock and Justin:_

"Well, I can't believe it. Drew sensing Aura. What's next, him and May getting together?" Brock said in a sarcastic tone.

"You never know Brock. The future can sometimes be written in strange ways." Justin replied.

"I shouldn't have said that last part, should I…" Brock asked, while bending over in misery.

"Cheer up Brock! If it does happen, be happy for them." Justin said, giving Brock a pat on the back to try and cheer him up.

"I guess you're right." Brock replied, still a bit glum at the thought he had said.

_Paul and Dawn:_

"Well, at least it wasn't me." Paul quietly stated, leaning on the rail of the ship, some feet away from the group. Dawn had stayed by his side as the duo migrated to their current spot during Arceus' speech.

"Oh be quite, you're going to be jealous sooner or later." Dawn said, playfully punching Paul in the arm.

"Troublesome…" was all that Paul said in response. Dawn only sighed at another failed attempt to try to make Paul smile. But she did notice a slight blush form on his face. She then felt one forming on her's and quickly looked at the ocean to try and calm it down.

_May and Drew:_

"Wow Drew, you must be excited!" May shouted happily.

"I am, but this is a lot to handle. All of a sudden being so special." Drew responded, unaware of the news he would receive next.

"But, you've always been special to me…" May quietly stated in a saddened tone, with a slight blush forming on her face. She then started to walk away, before Drew grabbed her arm.

"Wait, May, what did you mean by "always been special to me?"" Drew asked, with a stern but soft look on his face.

"Well, I wanted to tell you sooner, but then the explosions on the island, and Arceus' tale…" May started, before being cut off by Drew.

"Tell me what?" He asked.

"I… uhh… I wanted to tell you that I like you. That I REALLY like you." May confessed, a large blush forming on her face.

"You… you do?" Drew asked, but then remembered what he had seen that morning. "Then tell me why you were sleeping with Justin?"

"It's not what you think!" May said, getting defensive. "Just let me explain it."

And that's what she did. She told the events spot on, other than avoiding the romantic adventure she had had.

"Now do you understand?" May asked while blushing, hoping that Drew would believe her.

"Yes, I understand." Drew replied.

"You still haven't told me if you like me back, though." May said, reminding Drew of the reason she told her tail. "Are you gonna answer me or…"

Before May could finish, she felt Drew press his lips against hers. She was initially shocked at the boldness, but then closed her eyes and kissed him back. As much as either of them wanted to continue, they had to stop after ten seconds for air. When they did, they saw ten pairs of eyes staring at them, and seven dropped jaws. The other three faces simply smiled at them.

Before anything could escalate any further, Lugia decided to speak up.

"I hate to cut these festivities short, but I believe Arceus is almost ready." Lugia said grinning, gaining everyone's attention from the scene in front of them. And as if on que, everyone was teleported from the ship and to the stone alter on the island.

* * *

Well, I'll admit that this wasn't my best chapter, but it wasn't my worst either. I should update again by Saturday morning, or even sooner. Once again, I'm so sorry for not updating this sooner, and I'll try my best to make up for it. And, as always, please comment and review. No, seriously, please review. I'd really like people's feedback on this story. Thanks in advance!


	8. Changing of the Guard

A/N: I missed my deadline….. again….. I'm really sorry about not posting sooner guys. The NASCAR races over the weekend gained my full attention. Plus, my internet was down for about 20 hours….. But I'm here with another chapter finally, and had all day to write it thanks to a snow day! There are two things that I to clarify though. First off, I have this entire story planned out, and it should be at least 40 to 50 chapters, if not more. Secondly, I'm going to HOPEFULLY update this story at least once a week, at a minimum. So, now that that's out of the way, on with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon

* * *

"So Lugia, was the reason you suggested we stop here for the night is that this is your actual "Safe Island"?" Ash said, asking the question that was on everyone's mind.

"Yes, it is. And once Aura Transfer is complete, I shall return to the sea." Lugia said.

"But what if we need your help again?" Drew asked. "I mean, you and Arceus seem to be the only two who know what is going on!"

"You speak the words of truth Drew, and more shall be revealed once the Aura Trio has been reunited." Lugia replied.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go to the island!" Ash shouted, in his usual manner.

"Just how is everyone going to get there Ash?" Misty said, scolding him on his inability to think ahead. "Not everyone has pokémon that can fly or ferry them to the island."

"Oh yah….. I forgot." Ash said, as he hung his head in shame. Luckily, Dawn had come up with solution that she hoped would work.

"Excuse me, Lugia, could you give us a ride to the island?" Dawn asked, hoping she hadn't made an overzealous request to the Beast of the Seas.

"I would be delighted to." Lugia responded. Dawn immediately regained her usual bubbly personality. "Everybody, climb on my back."

"Thank you Lugia!" The whole group responded, except for Paul and Justin, who elected to ride their Honchkrow and Dragonite respectively.

It took the group about five minutes to reach the island, and another two to actually get to the arch. Once there, Lugia spoke once more.

"What you are about to see performed is called an Aura Transfer. It has only been done on two other occasions, and both times were to save the Tree of Beginning and Mew." Lugia explained. "As such, only an Aura Guardian can perform it."

"So that would be Sir Aaron, right?" Ash asked. "You did tell us that he would train us."

"You are correct on both statements Ash." Lugia answered.

"But wait, I thought Sir Aaron sacrificed himself over 1,000 years ago? How will he be able to train Drew, Ash, and Justin?" May asked. Lugia only chuckled at her question. "Hey, what's so funny?"

"I'm sorry I laughed, but Arceus said he would retrieve him. Arceus is the Alpha Pokémon and can create anything, so he will be able to create an area for Sir Aaron's spirit to inhabit for a short while." Lugia answered.

As if on cue, Arceus appeared along with Sir Aaron, in spirit form.

"So those three are the ones you told me about." Sir Aaron said as he floated over to the group. "I know of Ash, thanks to his effort at the Tree of Beginning. The other two, I do not."

"Well, that's Justin." Ash said as he pointed to him. "He was teleported to this world by Lugia, and he's a military commando."

"So, he represents the element of Power for the Trio." Aaron said as he glanced over at Justin. "And I can see why, even if your sword is a tad small."

"My combat knife?" Justin said as he pulled it out from its sheath. "I only use this if I need to do CQC (Close Quarters Combat). Most of the time I use my rifle. But then again, you were alive when knights were the staple of most armies."

"I was, yes. And I would very much like to see this "rifle" in use." Aaron replied. "Now Ash, who is the third member?"

"That would be Drew." Ash said, while pointing at him. "It was just revealed to all of us a little while ago that he can use Aura, well, not yet anyway."

"So, he is the one who requires the transfer." Aaron replied.

"Yes, and he represents Wisdom for the trio." Ash said.

"Which means you are Courage." Aaron stated. He got a simple nod from Ash in return. "With introductions out of the way, we should proceed with the transfer. Unfortunately, only thos who can sense Aura can witness it, so I must ask everyone else to leave."

Misty, May, and Dawn all protested at first, but then left the clearing in peace after Brock managed to convince them that everything would be alright. Paul followed closely behind them, as they headed back to the _Enterprise_.

"Now then, Drew, was it, please come over to the Aura Alter." Aaron instructed. "And Lucario, please go to the opposite side of the alter.

"I'm here, so now what?" Drew asked, upon completion of the simple instructions.

"Lay down on it." Aaron replied. "Ash, Justin, please take hold of one of Drew's hands. It will help with the stabilization of the Aura once his body accepts it. Lucario, you know what to do."

Ash and Justin complied with the instructions, and came to either side of Drew. Lucario meanwhile walked behind Drew's head, and placed his paws a few inches from either side of it. Sir Aaron placed one of his spectral hands on Drew's heart, and the other on Lucario's forehead. Once complete, the transfer began.

"Now Drew, this may hurt a little." Aaron warned, right as the transfer started.

Drew's face immediately twisted into an expression of pain. He tightly squeezed Ash's and Justin's hands to try and rid himself of the pain. Throughout all of this, he never screamed, until the second phase hit.

"Now for the second phase of the transfer. Lucario, place you paws onto Drew's heart. I will do my best to focus the Aura." Aaron said, trading places with Lucario. "This will most defiantly hurt Drew, so brace yourself."

Drew did his best, but the pain was too great. He blacked out, but not before letting out a bloodcurdling scream.

"Well, this is the best thing that could have happened." Aaron said. "With Drew being unconscious, it will be easier for his body to accept the Aura, and he won't feel any of the pain for the rest of the transfer."

Lucario, meanwhile, was getting weaker every second. He then became enveloped in a blue aura, which signaled the completion of the transfer. Everyone knew what would happen next.

"Well, this is the end of my part in this." Lucario weekly said, leaning up against a palm tree. "It was a pleasure meeting all of you, especially my master."

"Lucario, I wasn't your master." Justin stated. "You were my friend and my ally."

Lucario managed a week smile at this. He then touched his paw to Justin's heart, and stated a simple goodbye.

"I will always be with you, in here." Lucario said, while passing on a very small pulse of Aura to Justin. The blue aura surrounding Lucario finally enveloped him, and he vanished from everyone's sight. He left behind the one thing that Justin had given him, a pair of dog tags.

"Goodbye Lucario" Justin said, letting a tear escape as he pocketed the tags.

"Lucario isn't completely gone. As long as you can sense Aura, you can contact Lucario." Aaron said. This proceeded to make Justin give off a slight smile. "And I will teach you how to during your training."

"Thanks." Justin replied.

"Don't be sad for him, Justin." Ash stated. "He knew his role, and he accepted it. Like an old friend told me once, a goodbye is the start of another hello."

"You're right Ash." Justin replied. "And you're also not as dense as you seem."

"Wait, you think I'm dense!?" Ash shouted. Everyone laughed at this.

"Not just him, everyone does." Drew said, regaining consciousness.

"So Drew, how do you feel?" Justin said, trying to switch the conversational topic.

"I feel as if I just had a needle stabbed into my brain and heart." Drew replied.

"That feeling will pass once your body accepts the Aura." Aaron replied. "It will take a few hours though."

"Great….." Drew replied. "Anybody have any pain reliever?"

"Here, have a morphine pill." Justin said, tossing the pill to Drew. "It should relieve your pain for three-to-six hours."

"Good." Drew replied, swallowing the pill. "When should it kick in?"

"In about five minutes." Justin replied.

"Drew, can you sense anything?" Ash asked. "You know, now that you can sense Aura."

"Well, I can sense the color of yours and Justin's Auras." Drew replied. "Justin's is a deep red, while yours is a light orange."

"And yours is a dark blue Drew." Ash stated.

"So Aaron, what do they mean?" Justin asked.

"Well, yours represents an active, survival-oriented, strong will-power." Aaron said.

"Makes sense, based on what I've done in the past." Justin said.

"Ash's represents kindness, happiness, and compassion." Aaron stated. "Drew's represents someone who is calm, cool, and collected, but the shading of it means he is afraid of the truth."

"And what truth would that be?" Drew asked, squeezing his hands into fists.

"I do not know." Aaron replied. "All I do know is that it revolves around a person or group or persons."

Lugia and Arceus, who had teleported off at the beginning of the transfer, now teleported back to the ruins.

"Well, it looks like the transfer was a complete success." Arceus stated.

"It was. Tomorrow shall begin their training." Aaron replied.

"Good. Then it seems that I am no longer needed." Arceus stated, as he began to float towards the portal.

"Wait!" Justin shouted. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What do you wish to ask?" Arceus replied, turning around to face Justin.

"Well, I would like a favor from you." Justin said.

"A favor? Hmm… What is this favor you ask?" Arceus questioned.

"I know you can create and restore life, Arceus. So, I wanted to see if you could bring back my friend." Justin asked, while pulling out a small box from his combat pack. "These are the ashes of my best friend. He was killed in combat less than three months ago."

"So you want me to restore his life." Arceus said, giving Justin a stern look. He then immediately changed his look into one of compassion. "I will do it."

"You… You will!?" Justin exclaimed, overjoyed at the news. "Thank you Arceus."

"You are most certainly welcome." Arceus replied. "Now, spread his ashes onto the alter.

Justin did as instructed, backed away to give Arceus room.

"Now Aaron, while I'm reconstructing the body, I wish for you to find the soul in the Ether." Arceus instructed.

"It will only take a moment" Aaron replied. His spirit then vanished.

"Lugia, what is Arceus doing?" Ash asked, as he, along with Drew, had moved a few feet away from the alter, not being able to hear the conversation that just took place.

"Arceus is restoring Justin's closest friend." Lugia replied.

"So, that means Arceus is bringing him back to life." Drew stated.

"You are correct." Lugia replied.

The alter, then began to glow in a heavenly gold color. The surface of it, once occupied by ashes, now had the form of a body on it. A few seconds later, all the distinct features became present.

"It is done" Arceus said, as the light faded. "And not a moment too soon, as Aaron has returned with your friend."

As soon as Aaron appeared, the chest of the body on the alter began to rise, and then fall, in a rhythmic pattern. Justin immediately rushed over.

"Ugh…. I feel like I've been run over by a bus…." The mysterious male said, slowly opening his eyes. "Wait… Justin!?"

"Nice to have you back man." Justin said, letting a few tears escape his eyes.

"What do you mean? Wait…. where am I?" The male said, looking around.

"You were dead, but you got revived. There's so much to explain." Justin replied, noticing his friend's eyes had moved towards Lugia and Arceus. "No, we're not in Kansas anymore."

"Well, you always know how to tell terrible jokes." The male replied, standing up. "You still remember it?"

"You know it." Justin replied, engaging in a handshake.

"But, just, where are we, exactly?" The male asked.

"Right now, on an island in the Orange Islands." Justin replied. "And before you ask where on Earth that is, we're in a parallel dimension to Earth."

"Well, how did you get here?" The male asked.

"Long story. I'll tell you once you meet everyone." Justin replied. "Starting with those two. Ash, Drew, I have someone I want you guys to meet."

Ash and Drew immediately walked over to the male. He was the same height and Build as Justin, only with a buzz cut and orange hair. He had on the same combat armor as Justin, just without his skull balaclava. He was missing his firearm, but everything else was there. He carried his combat helmet in his left hand, while his right remained empty.

"Ha! He's a ginger!" Ash said, laughing.

"Your friend isn't that wise, it seems." The male said, as he put Ash in a headlock.

"Hey! What gives!?" Ash yelled, trying his best to escape his predicament.

"He hates being called a ginger." Justin replied. "Just tell him you're sorry.

"OK! I'M! SORRY!" Ash screamed. "HAPPY NOW!?"

"Very" The male said, releasing Ash from the headlock. Drew chuckled at this. "What's so funny salad-head?"

"Just Ash's denseness." Drew replied. "And don't call me salad-head."

"As long as you don't call me a ginger." The male replied.

"Not how I planned this would go." Justin said, sighing.

"Ash, Drew, this is second-in-command of the Specter Rangers. Nick Potter, codename "Hudson"." Justin stated, while retrieving an object from his pocket. "I believe this is yours"

"My tags." Nick said. "Thanks man. Now tell me, where the hell are we?"

"You remember those Pokémon games I had?" Justin asked.

"Yah I do, but does that have to do with it?" Nick replied, becoming confused.

"We're in their universe." Justin replied. "That was the parallel universe I told you about before."

"Ah. That would explain those giant creatures over there." Nick stated, pointing at Lugia and Arceus.

"You mean Lugia and Arceus?" Justin said. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

"I hope so…" Nick replied.

"I hate to break up this reunion, but shouldn't we head back to your ship?" Drew said. "The others are most certainly getting impatient.

"You're right." Justin said.

"Just exactly how are we getting back?" Nick asked.

"Simple." Justin said, reaching for two pokeballs on his belt. "Take one."

"If you say so." Nick replied. As he took a pokeball, it opened, releasing Justin's Charizard.

"Looks like you get to ride on my Charizard." Justin said. His Charizard had eyed Nick, as had started charging a flamethrower. "It's okay Charizard, he's a friend." Hearing this, Charizard immediately stopped, and gave Nick a smile.

"I'll be alright, right?" Nick said, climbing onto Charizard's back.

"Nothing to worry about." Justin said, as he climbed on his Dragonite's back.

Ash and Drew had climbed on Lugia's back, while this was occurring. Once everyone was ready, the for teens took the skies on their respective pokémon and headed back to the _Enterprise_. Arceus, meanwhile, had entered the portal at the alter and had returned to the Ether.

"So tell me, who else do I have to meet?" Nick asked in mid-flight.

"Well, let's just say an interesting cast of characters." Justin replied, with a smug grin.

* * *

So that's chapter eight. I'd always planned to have one of Justin's squad mates return to the story, but I wasn't sure how he would. Next chapter should be posted by the end of the weekend. And, as always, please review!


	9. A Certain Red Head's Song

A/N: I haven't updated for over a month, and I'm truly sorry about that. I've just been real busy with school, had some tech issues, mainly with my internet, and was out of town for a little. I promise that I will stick to my weekly updates as best as I can, but it may be every fortnight as I have AP testing and other major exams coming up soon. But I did find out I got a 28 on my ACT, so that's some good news. Enough of my rambling and onto the story, finally, after 6 weeks of no updates…

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, nor any lyrics produced by the Pokémon Company or 4Kids.

* * *

Once back onboard, Justin had introduced Nick to everyone else who hadn't met him yet. He was asked a few simple questions anyone would ask, such as favorite food, drink, hobby, ect. Once over, Lugia stated that he was asked by Arceus to wipe the past few hours of everyone's memory to ensure the location of the portal was kept safe. Drew and May protested, saying that they'd forget they liked each other. Lugia couldn't be swayed though, and proceeded to erase the past 12 hours from everyone's memories, except for Justin and Nick, as he believed them to be trustworthy enough to withhold the location. Once the wipe was complete, Lugia gave one last goodbye and descended beneath the waves.

"Well, now I see what you meant by "cast of characters" Justin." Nick said as he and Justin walked below deck to catch up.

"Yep they sure are, and for more than one obvious reason." Justin replied.

"Just shut up and explain to me exactly what's happened since I was K.I.A." Nick grunted as he sat down at a table in the galley. "But first, you still got any of that Orange Soda?"

"You mean this?" Justin answered, pulling a bottle filled with an orange liquid from the fridge. "I saved some bottles in case you somehow came back."

"Thanks man." Nick replied, accepting the bottle from Justin. "Now you want to tell me what the hell has happened?"

"Well, I guess it's best to start from the beginning…" Justin said, beginning to retell the events from when he first arrived.

_Above deck on the Enterprise:_

"Well, he's sure an interesting character." Misty said, mulling over the brief introduction Justin had given about Nick.

"They seem to get along pretty well though Mist, just like you and me!" Ash replied.

"Except when it came to the ownership of Togepi, or Totodile. Or whenever Misty blamed you for us getting lost and you two argued, or whenever somebody said you two liked each other…." Brock said, before a large mallet connected with his head, knocking him out cold.

"BE QUIET BROCK!" Misty yelled, gaining the attention of everyone else on deck.

"Remind me not to get on her bad side." Dawn quietly whispered to May, earning a giggle from the girl.

"The only way for you to do that is to take Ash from her." May replied, louder than she wanted and garnered unwanted attention from Misty.

"What did you say…." Misty spouted, as she walked over to the pair of girls, mallet in hand. But before she could do any damage, Ash intervened.

"Misty, put the mallet down."

"Don't tell me what to do Ketchum!" She spouted back.

_Whatever Brock said really got her mad. Let's see, first it was Togepi and Totodile, than about us getting lost, and then those stupid accusations from nearly everybody we met about how Misty and I liked each other….. Hmm….. Well, I can't think of a reason she's so mad._ Ash thought to himself, meanwhile getting puzzled looks from everybody.

"Who knew he could think?" Drew sarcastically stated, getting a death glare from Misty.

"DON'T INSULT HIS INTELLEGENCE!" Misty shouted back, as she started to stomp towards Drew. He immediately ran and cowered in fear behind May.

"Help me…." Drew pleaded to May. All he got was a "Dead Man walking" in response, after May pushed him back towards Misty.

Misty was prepared for May's actions and was already at the top of her mallet swing when Drew got in range. Off balance from the push, he couldn't avoid the mallet, and got conked on his head with the mallet, hard.

"Look at the pretty Pidgey….. Look at ALL the pretty Pidgey…." Drew said, before he too fell unconscious.

Paul, who had separated himself from everyone when the commotion began, now walked onto the scene.

"Well, it seems that we have another violent sociopath amongst us." Paul stated in his cold tone.

"Don't say that stuff Paul!" Dawn pleaded, not wanting the same fate to occur to him "You don't want to make Misty even madder!"

"As if she could hit me with that sorry excuse for a gavel….." Paul began, but couldn't finish as Misty once again connected with her mallet. Dawn could help but mutter an "I told ya so" to an unconscious Paul, as she dragged him over to where Brock and Drew were.

"Does anybody else have something to say!?" Misty growled through her teeth, tightly gripping her mallet. Hearing no response from the terrified faces of her still-conscious friends, she muttered a "Good.", and instantly returned back to her happy state from a few minutes beforehand.

After around 30 seconds had passed, and he was sure Misty wasn't a raging Tauros anymore, Ash decided to talk to her and ask her what got her so mad in the first place, as to make sure to avoid it in future conversations.

"So Misty, what did Brock say that got you so mad?" Ash asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it Ash, you wouldn't understand." Misty replied.

"Misty, we're best friends, and can tell each other anything. I may not understand why, but I do understand that telling somebody will make you feel better." Ash said.

"Really Ash, I don't want to talk about it. I just need to be alone for a little." Misty said, as she walked away from Ash. He tried to follow, but was grabbed by May and Dawn, saying that it was best for Misty to have some time to be alone. Ash sadly complied.

The rest of the evening went by without much more chaos. Brock, Drew, and Paul all regained consciousness, but couldn't remember why they had been knocked out in the first place. Justin explained everything to Nick in detail, from the moment of Ash waking him up and shocking the living daylights out of him, up to the moment of Nick's "resurrection". Misty stayed separate from everyone the entire night, only re-joining for dinner. Not even a group movie could sway her to stay.

_Approximately 2300 Hours Zulu Time (11 PM), onboard the Enterprise:_

Justin was glad to be enjoying one of him favorite movies with his friends. Able to recite almost every classic line from the film, he made the premier of _Dirty Harry_ for everyone other than Nick, a spectacle. But, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Misty. Deciding to check on her, he excused himself from the movie and went to search for her. It didn't take long to find her, but he was surprised by how he found her.

He was simply climbing the stairs to get on deck, when he heard a faint, but familiar, melody. As he listened closely, he could make out its origin. It was coming from the stern of the _Enterprise_, from the mouth of a sad-looking teen whom everyone knew as Misty.

Not wanting to spook her, he quietly inched himself into earshot, going prone to avoid making as much noise as possible. Once he was close enough, he could make out the words Misty was singing.

_Out here in the quiet of the night,_

_Beneath the stars, and moon_

_We both know we've got something on our minds_

_We won't admit, but it's true_

Upon hearing the first verse, he instantly knew the song. A song that he thought he would never hear in person. He knew it by heart, as he himself memorized this song many years ago.

_You look at me, I look away._

_Ash can never take a hint._ Justin thought, as he continued listening.

_I wanna tell you what I'm feeling,_

_But I don't know how to start_

_I wanna tell you, but now_

_I'm afraid that you might break my heart_

_Oh, why should anything so easy ever_

_Be so hard to do?_

_I wanna tell you what I'm feeling,_

_And to say that, I love you._

Justin knew exactly how Misty was feeling, and decided to help her so that her heart wouldn't be torn to pieces like his was, once the song was over, of course.

_I practice all the things that I could say,_

_Line by line, every word_

_I tell myself today could be the day,_

_But every time, I lose my nerve_

He was now quietly humming along, with Misty none the wiser, as she gazed out at the gentle waves cresting over the ocean.

_I look at you, you look away_

_Maybe Ash was trying to give a hint of his own, or maybe he was just too naïve to realize why he was doing that._ Justin though, continuing to listen to the serenade.

_I wanna tell you what I'm feeling,_

_But I don't know how to start._

_I wanna tell you, but now _

_I'm afraid that you might break my heart_

_Oh, why should anything so easy ever_

_Be so hard to do?_

_I wanna tell you what I'm feeling,_

_And to say that, I love you._

_Why? Why do you turn away?_

_It must be, you're afraid like me_

_I try, but I can't pretend that I_

_Don't feel for you the way I do_

_Can't you see?_

_I wanna tell you what I'm feeling,_

_But I don't know how to start_

_I wanna tell you, but now_

_I'm afraid that you might break my heart_

_Oh, why should anything so easy ever_

_Be so hard to do?_

_I wanna tell you what I'm feeling, _

_And to say that, I love you._

_I wanna tell you what I'm feeling,_

_But I don't know how to start_

_I wanna tell you, but now_

_I'm afraid that you might break my heart_

_Oh, why should anything so easy ever_

_Be so hard to do?_

_I wanna tell you what I'm feeling,_

_And to say that, I love you._

Once Misty finished, she sighed and continued looking out at the water, still unaware that Justin had heard her pour her heart out in a song, her song.

Not wanting to be discovered by Misty and clobbered by her mallet, Justin quietly stood, and broke the nighttime ambiance of quiet, rolling waves.

"That was about Ash, wasn't it?" He asked. Misty upon hearing the new voice, quickly turned and faced him, giving an expression or shock, horror, and anger. Before she could speak, he continued. "Don't be mad at me Misty. I simply came out here to check on you, and I heard you singing, so I listened. It's a great song."

"If you ease drop on me again, my mallet will be your new hat." She threatened.

"I saw what you did to Brock, Drew, and Paul, so point taken." Justin replied.

"Good. And you better not tell Ash about the song, or I'll crack you balls like I do pistachios with my mallet. " Misty warned.

"So it IS about Ash!" Justin said, giving Misty a smirk. "I knew it."

"It's not about him! If he found out about it, he'd make fun of me for it!" Misty countered.

"For what? Singing a song about your love for somebody who doesn't realize you love them? That's not dumb Misty, and I'm sure he would understand. Hell, I memorized that song a long time ago when I was dealing with your same problem." Justin stated, getting a confused look from Misty, which was quickly replaced with a normal one once Misty remembered where Justin had come from.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked. Justin gave her a weak smile, and proceeded to tell Misty what he had told May previously, not knowing May had already informed her.

"That's why I want to help you out. It's obvious it's about Ash." Justin stated, upon finishing his sad tale.

"For the last time, it's not about Ash!" Misty protested.

"I can tell when people are lying, and you, Misty, well, your pants have turned to ash right now." Justin said.

"Ok, maybe I do like him more than my best friend. It's just that he's too oblivious to any of my hints." She said, sighing.

"So that's why you got mad at all of them earlier. They started doing the whole "boyfriend-girlfriend" gag on you two, and it just got out-of-control." He stated, getting a sad nod from Misty.

"I just wish he would understand." Misty replied.

"I'm sure he will, cause it's obvious he likes you back, except he doesn't know how to show it." Justin said.

"Well, that does explain a few instances from our journey together…" Misty said, reminiscing on her adventures with Ash.

The two sat together for about ten more minutes before Justin suggested that they return to the group. Misty, although apprehensive at first, finally agreed and followed Justin back to the movie. Upon her return, she was greeted with smiling faces, and a bad impression of Dirty Harry's famous ".44 Magnum" speech by Ash, to which she laughed at. After that, everybody knew Misty was okay.

With the movie over, and midnight fast approaching, the group of teens decided to head to bed to get a good night's sleep for tomorrow's endeavors, which would include Aura training for Ash, Drew, and Justin, and firearms instruction from Justin and Nick to everybody else onboard the _Enterprise_. And as everybody nodded off to their respective dreams, an all-to-familiar Meowth-shaped balloon floated into view from the horizon.

* * *

Well, with this being typed up in less than an hour, I think it's pretty good. Next update by next Monday, with a slight possibility of an update sooner. And, as always, please review!


	10. Operation Gangster Storm

A/N: I know it is a few days past my two week deadline, but I do have a legitimate excuse, well three, in fact. The first one being that I had a stomach flu of some kind that kept me out of school for five days, giving me the delightful chance to observe my stomach contents multiple times. Along with that, I've been working my tail off to catch up on the missed work, so I haven't had that much free time at all. The third reason is that in just under two weeks, either the 7th or the 8th of May, I have my AP Computer Science Exam…. Whoopee…. Also, I was tried to type this up earlier, but I got distracted when I found my old Lego Island 2 game disc for PC. What an awesome game that was, and I truly wonder if anyone remembers it at all. So ya, that about raps things up with my rant for this chapter, I believe. On with the story then!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, nor any song lyrics used or movie titles mentioned.

* * *

"GENERAL QUARTERS! GENERAL QUARTERS! ALL MEN MAN YOUR BATTLE STATIONS!" the intercom screamed, at six in the morning no less.

In no more than three seconds, everyone in the bunk room was wide awake, and either tired, fuming mad, or both. But then, as quickly as it was sounded, the alarm stopped, and the soothing noise of rolling waves quickly returned to the cabin.

"What do you think this is about?" Ash groggily asked his group of companions.

"Not sure, but I think it has something to do with what Justin said last night." Misty replied.

"Speaking of him, his and the ginger's bunks are empty." Drew said, peering into Justin's cabin.

Before anyone else could say anything, the group heard footsteps coming from the hallway. When Justin and Nick entered, nobody was surprised that they were both up. It was their attire though, that shocked everybody.

"Why do you two have all of that gear on?" Brock asked, not knowing a good reason for playing "dress-up" at six in the morning.

"Well, we have a little surprise in store for everyone, and who was in who called Nick a ginger?" Justin said, while observing the group. When nobody answered, he simply stated that whoever did it shouldn't do it again, unless they wanted to do suicides for two straight hours.

"So everybody, get dressed and head onto deck." Nick commanded, as he and Justin left the room to return outside.

"We shouldn't keep them waiting." Paul stated, in his usual callous tone. Everybody agreed, and quickly dressed into their usual attire. In three minutes, everybody was on deck, including a pair of disgruntled Pikachu.

What they saw before them was unexpected. In the middle of the deck, in the light of a few red flairs burning, stood a team of six pokémon, which all the trainers recognized.

"I want everybody to meet me combat team. You guys already know Charizard and Dragonite, but you didn't know about the other four I presume. Meet Hydreigon, Garchomp, Latios, and Articuno." Justin said, introducing his four previously unknown pokémon. "And if you're wondering what happened to the other four, I sent them to Professor Oak for safe keeping."

The group of teens stood in awe at the team of pokémon in front of them, unable to speak for a few seconds, until the electronic voice of a Pokedex was heard.

"Charizard, the Flame Pokémon. It is said that Charizard's fire burns hotter if it has experienced harsh battles." muttered Dexter in his electronic tone.

"Hey Ash, why'd you look up Charizard in your Pokedex, if you already had one?" Misty asked.

"Well, ever since Justin first introduced him, there was just something off, and now I know why. His Charizard is black instead of orange." Ash replied.

"You just realized that my Charizard is a shiny pokémon? And just so you don't ask, the reason why my Articuno is a light blue instead of a sea blue is that it is also shiny. The same goes for my Garchop's lighter color." Justin said.

"How do you have three shiny pokémon! They're extremely rare!" Ash replied.

"Don't you have a shiny Noctowl?"

"Ya, but…"

"But nothing! You're luckier than most anyone anybody here knows!"

"I hate to stop your little chat, but don't we have something else to tell them?" Nick said, stepping between the two quarreling teens.

"You are right, my friend. Now, everybody return!" Justin said, while returning each of his pokémon, except for Latios. "Now, what we are going to do is most likely considered illegal."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Dawn asked, becoming concerned at the conversations quick turn to the serious.

"Watch the morning news, and you guys will see. That's all we can tell you." Nick replied.

"I really don't like where this is going. You tell us what you two are up to, now!" Brock yelled, revealing his rarely used confrontational side.

"We can't divulge this information." Justin replied.

"Why not?"

"Because the Three Stooges of Jessie, James, and Meowth, are currently watching and recording us."

'WHAT!?" everyone but Justin and Nick exclaimed. "How do you guys know!?"

"Simple, there's a Meowth-shaped hot air balloon floating not too far away, and with the general quarters alarm that just sounded, they must be up and wondering where it came from." Justin replied. "Plus Nick saw them watching us through his thermal binoculars."

And, almost on que, said trio quickly appeared on the deck of the _Enterprise_.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

"Here we go again….." Justin muttered, while walking over to the trio of crooks. "Will you three ever shut up!?"

"How DARE you interrupt the Team Rocket motto! The nerve of you!" Jessie spat.

"Jessie, maybe you shouldn't be so defensive. You do remember what happened the last time we met this guy…." James sheepishly said, trying to calm Jessie down.

"Dat's a good idea James." Meowth added in.

"ME, DEFENSIVE!? DON'T YOU DARE INSULT ME!" Jessie yelled at her partners.

"Ok, I've had enough of this….." Justin said, bringing out a Taser from his vest. "Nap time."

"Wha….." Jessie yelled, before blacking out due to the disruption of her nerves.

"Do you two want to be next?" Justin asked. "If you don't then tie yourselves up nest to Jessie with this rope."

"We'll do that!" James responded, taking the rope.

"Yah, don't tase me bro!" Meowth added in.

Justin and Nick both sighed at Meowth's comment, but not too loud as to have to explain their actions. Once the trio of crooks were tied up, Justin then began a quick interrogation, sidearm in hand.

"I'll make this short and sweet. Where is Giovanni's false company's headquarters located at?"

"SAFFRON CITY! IT'S IN SAFFRON CITY!" James yelled, not wanting to provoke Justin further.

"Good, I can tell you weren't lying. Your response was unwavered, and you replied immediately. Next question, what's the company's name?" Justin asked.

"Goodwill Management! It's a real estate and 'nvestmant firm!" Meowth answered, getting a grin from Justin in response.

"For a couple of criminals, you two sure do crack easily."

"Just don't tell Jessie. She'd skin me alive." James said, pleading.

"And she'd use me as another one of 'dose expensive fur hats!" Meowth chimed in.

"Nobody here will say anything. Now, I thank you for the information, but my friend and I have to visit and investment firm in Saffron." Justin stated, while holstering his sidearm.

Walking over to his Latios, he muttered a simple command, and the pokémon became transparent. Next, doing so as he had done many times before, he reached up and pulled his skull balaclava over his face, and placed a pair of sunglasses over his eyes. He then stated on last thing to everyone onboard.

"Don't judge us for what we are going to do. Watch the news, and if Aaron shows up, tell him to reschedule the training."

"We understand." The entire group muttered at once. An instant later, Justin and Nick both turned transparent as they climbed aboard Latios, but before they took off, Ash asked a final question.

"Why aren't you taking Volt with you?"

"I don't want him to get hurt. He means too much to me."

"But what if you don't come back?"

"I know you, Misty, and Pikachu will take good care of him." And with that final grim statement, the transparent Latios with Justin and Nick aboard, took off into the orange morning sky, bound for Saffron City.

"So I guess Aaron won't be able to train us today…" Ash muttered to Drew, as everybody walked below deck, dragging the tied up trio of Team Rocket with them.

"I guess not." Drew replied. "But what do you think those two are going to do?"

Surprisingly, Drew's answer came from the most unexpected person.

"Kill 'em all." Paul stated in his icy tone.

"Why do you think that Paul?"

"You two really don't get it. They are trained killers. The only reason they would ask those specific questions is to find out Giovanni's location, so they can get rid of him, _permanently_."

"But they didn't ask if Giovanni was going to be there or not." Ash added in.

"Then maybe they just want to make a statement to him." Paul replied.

An eerie silence then swept over the group, as if telling the forthcoming of a terrible event. An hour passed before anybody spoke, and it was only to make one suggestion.

"We should probably watch the morning news." Brock stated, turning on the television in the main living area.

As the flatscreen television powered on, a woman with the local news appeared on screen.

"He must have pre-set the channel while we were sleeping." Misty stated.

"SSSHHHHHHHH!" Ash yelled in response, placing a single finger in front of his mouth to signal Misty to be quiet. All he got was a hard slap on the cheek from Misty, and giggles from the girls and flat looks from the guys.

"Breaking news! We have just received a report of several explosions outside of Goodwill Management's headquarters in downtown Saffron City. John Stevens is in the Kanto News Network's helicopter circling the scene. What's the situation like in Saffron, John?" the news anchor asked.

"AT approximately 6:50 am, around five explosive devices were detonated outside of Goodwill Management's headquarters. Nobody was caught in the blast, but they did severally damage the main entrance to the building. Police have quartered off the area, in case of any more blasts." John replied.

"Now, were there any people inside of the building?" The news anchor asked.

"Yes, around 600 people, including owner and CEO of Goodwill, Mr. Giovanni. Rescue efforts have not started for fear of more explosions."

"Is any other part of the building damaged in any way?"

"No. Only the entrance was bombed. The authorities believe it could be some form of a twisted hostage ransom."

"Anything else that's new at this time John?"

"Nothing else. Wait… what is that? Get a picture of that!"

"John, what is it?"

"Nancy, are you seeing this? We seem to have found two individuals on the roof of the building. They are both standing there, but dressed in what looks to be combat armor."

"John, can you tell if they are armed at all?"

"They do seem to be holding some type of gun. Wait, what is the one on the left doing? He seems to be…. Oh god… Get out of here now!"

"John! What's going on!?"

"They have a rocket launcher and have fir….." The audio and video feed then went dead.

"John! JOHN! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?" the news anchor yelled. After not receiving a reply for 30 seconds, she stated what everybody had assumed. "It seems as though we've lost connection to John. The technical staff at KNN will try to re-establish as we go on this commercial break."

Everybody in the room wore shocked expressions with dropped jaws to match. Nobody could have imagined that. The room was silent, until Ash spoke up.

"Paul, you were right."

"What was he right about Ash?" May asked.

"That Justin and Nick were going to prove something. And we just witnessed it."

The television then returned to the news anchor, with a video feed in the upper right corner of the screen.

"We here at KNN welcome you back to this breaking story. So far, we have not yet been able to get a response from John, but we have received video footage of what occurred from another news helicopter."

The screen then shifted to a scene of two figures, donned in black combat armor, repelling from the roof and bursting through the top floor's thing glass window. Gunshots were then heard, along with the screams of the people watching on the ground. While this occurred, in the background a song could be heard starting, but the only the first verse could be heard before the footage was cut short.

"As you have just scene, it appears that those two figures are behind this attack. We have gotten word that the window they broke through lead into Giovanni's office. You may have also heard music playing in the background. Our audio techs here at KNN have now amplified the audio so you can hear this."

The news anchor then became quiet as the audio started. Nothing could be heard at first, but then drum beats, a voice grunting, along with maracas could be heard. About 20 seconds later, singing could be heard.

"Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm a man of wealth and taste."

The audio then ended, as the news anchor then began speaking again. Everyone onboard the _Enterprise_ was still glued to the screen.

"We have scoured the know music archives for any songs matching this one, but none of them even remotely matched this one."

The anchor then went on to talk about what this could mean, but nobody cared. The group looked at each other, everyone realizing, even Team Rocket, who the two mystery figures were.

"It's them. It has to be them." Dawn said, starting to go into an emotional breakdown.

"But, it can't be…" May said, hoping her friend was wrong. But inside she knew that Dawn was right. She then started to follow Dawn's lead and also went into a breakdown.

"Why are they doing this…" Ash muttered. "It serves no point."

"I don't know Ash, but whatever the reason, it has to be good for them to become terrorists." Brock replied.

Paul, who had been quiet since his last answer, over 20 minutes ago, spoke up.

"They have their reason. And I know it's them."

"Paul, how can you be sure?" Ash asked.

"Because they told me."

The entire room became silent at this. The only word muttered, was "When?"

_Flashback: 0200 Hours Zulu Time, Enterprise Mess Hall_

Paul couldn't sleep at all. He didn't know why. His body was tired, along with his mind. Tossing and turning in his bunk was doing him no good either. Becoming bored after staring at the roof of the cabin, he decided to grab something to eat.

Carefully, as so not to wake anybody in the bunk room, he silently slunk into the main corridor and into the galley, where he was in for a surprise.

Paul wasn't expecting anyone would still be up, let alone hungry at 2 in the morning. Well, other than Ash. But, before him, under a single light, sat Justin and Nick going over documents. Unable to hide quick enough, Paul was discovered outright.

"Good morning Paul. We didn't expect anybody to be up this early in the morning." Justin said, still focusing on the documents in front of him.

"Uhh…." Paul responded, unsure of what to do next.

Nick then got up and walked over to the fridge. He took out a bottle of water, and offered it to Paul, along with a seat at the table. Curiosity getting the better of him, Paul accepted.

Upon sitting down, Paul saw what those documents were. Some were blueprints of highrise buildings, others were maps of cities. He could read Celadon, Saffron, Goldenrod, and Lillycove, but judging from the amount of papers, he guessed that there were many more. But what shocked him the most were photos of a tall, well-built man, in a less than stylish orange suit. He recognized the figure immediately as Giovanni, owner of Goodwill Management.

"What are you two planning?" Paul bluntly asked.

"You take a guess. Amuse us." Nick replied.

"Well, taking into account of your training and expertise in the field of "garbage removal" and the fact that you have spy photos of Giovanni, I'm going to say you're trying to assassinate him."

"You are close. Killing him is a goal of ours, but we need resources from him first." Justin replied, getting a very minuet smirk from Paul in return.

"Such as?"

"Money, transportation, intelligence, among others."

"What are you saying?"

"Giovanni is rich. We would like him to "gift" us some of his wealth, along with any intelligence he may have on Riley's location. We are also hoping to "persuade" him to tell us the location of one of Team Rocket's hidden airfields to "permanently borrow" a couple of helicopters and other assorted aircraft." Nick stated, using air quotes when necessary.

"You two know how to fly?"

"Yes." Both Justin and Nick replied together.

Paul was a little shocked at first, but then he remembered who he was talking to, and almost expected that answer.

"So when is this going to happen?"

"Around four hours from now, we'll wake everybody up with the General Quarters alarm. We know that Team Rocket has been following us in their Meowth balloon, so that alarm should wake them up as well. I'll call out all of my pokémon, and they won't be able to resist themselves when they see them. Once they are on board the _Enterprise_, we predict that they will do their usual motto, which I will interrupt and do my best to tase them. Once they are conscious again, I'll interrogate them, while Nick makes sure they are tied up nice and tight." Justin said, explaining their plan.

"So that's why you guys have maps of all the major cities. To locate Goodwill Management, and then in turn, locate Giovanni." Paul stated, putting together the puzzle pieces in his head.

"You are good at this Paul. We may have to bring you onto the team." Nick stated, while picking up another document to study.

About five minutes passed in silence as the three teens continued to pour over the maps and diagrams scattered about on the table. Justin then glanced over to Nick, where he got a quick nod. Quickly getting up, Justin left the room, only to return a minute later with a box in his hand. Sitting back down, he passed the box over to Paul.

"Open it."

Paul did as he was instructed, and inside he found a small headset device, along with a watch and tablet. Examining said items, he could only say one thing.

"What is this stuff for?"

"Nick and I had both agreed that we would need a third team member. That somebody would have to be someone on this ship currently, show little to no emotion, and be very mature. You, Paul, fit all three categories." Justin explained.

"But, I still don't get what this stuff is for."

"The headset will allow you to talk to us while we currently deployed in the field. The watch is the same one that we both wear, and it includes a built in altimeter, thermometer, compass, super magnet, and laser. The tablet will let you control a UAV that can be launched off the bow of the _Enterprise_ if needed." Nick explained.

"So, does this mean I'm part of your testosterone fueled group of gunslingers?" Paul asked.

"Yes, but we are not testosterone fueled. We do this because we are good at it, not for some type of adrenalin high." Justin replied.

"And now we come to my favorite part, the selection of a code name." Nick said, giving off a cheeky smile. "You can either pick it, or we just give you one if you can't think of one."

"Just give me one…"

"Purple."

"No…"

"Violet."

"No."

"Mall Cop."

"What the fuck?"

"Here we go again with your obsession with movies Nick…"

"What? _Paul Blart Mall Cop_ was a good movie!"

"No, it wasn't."

"So just because my name is Paul, you think that you can just slap on "Mall Cop" as a code name?"

"Before this gets out of hand, Paul, Nick, may I make one final suggestion?"

"Sure."

"Hrm..."

"Wolfman."

The room became silent for a few seconds, as Paul though over the suggested name. He replied with a simple two letter word.

"Ok."

"Well, now that that's settled, Nick and I would like to formally welcome you to the Specter Rangers. You can choose you weapon once Operation Gangster Storm is complete." Justin stated.

"Then I guess I'll let you two get back to planning. And, thanks, I guess, for this." Paul stated, having to force out the last part. He then collected the box that held his new gadgets, and promptly returned to the bunk room to try and get some sleep.

_End Flashback:_

"Wait…. so you're part of them now!?" Ash yelled out loud, shocked at his former rival's story.

"I am."

"I wish they would have picked me….."

"You're too immature Ash." Misty said.

"What's your point?" Ash responded, while sticking his tongue out at Misty.

"That's my point."

"I'm more mature than you are!"

"No, you're not!"

"Yes, I am!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"ENOUGH!" Brock yelled, getting surprised looks from everyone, and quite from Ash and Misty. "Now, how about we return to the news?"

"Ash and Misty both shook their heads, while beginning to sulk a little. Everybody else returned their gaze to the television.

"We have just received a new update. It is sad for us to report, but the helicopter carrying reporter John Stevens, his camera crew, and both pilots of the aircraft, were all killed when the helicopter carrying them slammed into the side of a building, after being stuck by a missile. In response to the escalation of violence shown by the two suspects, Kanto SWAT has been called in, and will attempt to apprehend the subjects after a helicopter drops them on the roof of Goodwill Management. They will also have two snipers located on rooftops facing the building as well. We will now show you a live feed from the scene."

The new anchor then disappeared, and it showed two helicopters flying towards the Goodwill Management building. As the camera followed them, screaming could be heard, as a missile impacted the first helicopter, sending it into a violent flat spin, before hitting a building. SWAT members were seen being flung out during the spin, and fell to their deaths. In a matter of moments, the sound of another missile being fired could be heard, and seconds later, the second helicopter erupted in flames, and crashed into the side of the Goodwill Management building, about ten stories from the ground. More screams were then heard from the people witnessing the event, unable to comprehend what they just witnessed.

The news anchor then returned to the screen.

"Um… I'm at a loss for words right now. No terrorist event has ever been this severe. Um… excuse me for a moment." The news anchor then proceeded to grab a tissue, and dab the sides of her eyes, attempting to dry up tears before they fell.

"We have just received word that the Kanto Police Force has just elevated the threat level to its maximum, and are no officially calling this a terrorist attack. They are still unable to contact the persons involved, and are now currently moving all civilians further back from the building."

Everyone watching couldn't believe what they had just witnessed, even Team Rocket. The girls were all crying, while the guys simply had astonished looks plastered over their faces. Ash, who couldn't handle his emotions when Misty cried, went over to her and tried his best to comfort her, by pulling her into a hug. She accepted, and started to cry into his shoulder, while Ash slowly stroked her hair, doing his best to calm her down.

The screen then returned to the live feed, which showed the Goodwill Management building on fire from the impact of the helicopter, and the bomb damage from earlier. As the camera panned, an unidentified aircraft could be scene flying towards the building.

"It appears that there is an unidentified helicopter heading towards the Goodwill Management building. Wait… it has stopped and is now hovering at the broken window where the two suspects had entered the building."

While the anchor talked, the screen showed a black military helicopter hover at the broken window. Nobody could tell who the pilot was, as all the windows were tinted a dark black. The helicopter then bobbled a little, as two men could be scene entering it. The helicopter then quickly flew away from the building, in a southeasterly direction. Once out of sight, the camera panned back to the building. Within a matter of seconds, the top half of the building became engulfed in flames, and debris and shrapnel began scattering everywhere. The concussion wave from the blast nocked everyone on the ground over, and a large plume of smoke could be seen as the building continued to burn.

The video feed then faded, and the news anchor returned, with a barely composed face.

"At 8:46 a.m. a large bomb has been exploded inside of Goodwill Management's headquarters building in downtown Saffron City. The terrorists have unfortunately gotten away, and most likely used the bomb to cover their tracks. The only thing that authorities have to go off of right now is the unmarked black helicopter that was scene giving the terrorists a getaway."

Brock the switched off the television, unable to compose himself. None of the others could do much better, not even Team Rocket. Paul's usual icy glair dissipated for a few moments, until he head his headset start to crackle.

"Wolfman, this is Ghost. Intel secure, and False Profit has escaped unscaved. Money is also secure. Operation Gangster Storm is a complete success. ETA 20 minutes. Ghost out."

Paul's headset then went dead, as he turned to face the others. Unable to say anything, he simply went and sat on the couch next to Dawn, trying to comprehend what just happened. He was sure though, that it for sure wouldn't be the last time.

* * *

Well, if I do say so myself, I think the wait was worth it. The next chapter will tie into this, as you get to see Justin and Nick's POV, along with their actions. And I won't say anything to spoil it, but a certain person does help them out. So, until whenever I can update next, as I've learned I can't stick to update dates for this story. Don't forget to review please, whether it be good or bad. And, I'll see you in the future. AWAY! By the way it's Lieutenant Surge… Spoilers… I'm going to shut up now…


	11. Good News Everyone! (Progress Update)

This is a public service announcement to all of my readers. This story, after a few days of mental deliberation, will NOT be canceled, and instead will be put on hiatus. The reason for my change of heart with this story is that it's my first written and published fanfic, so it's important to me. That, and I figured out how to correct the horrendous plot that's been going on for it. In laymen's terms, the plot has more holes that swiss cheese. So yah, it's not canceled, at all. This story should resume a regular update around mid August to as late as early September, as it just depends on how far I get with my other fanfic, _Rogue Spear_. So with that, I leave you with my original author's note from my first draft of Chapter 11, and a sneak peak of it, err..., well..., what was finished in the 15 minutes of writing I did for the chapter back in May... I'm shutting up now.

* * *

A/N: I know I haven't updated this in over a month….. Sorry about that. I do have a couple of announcements to make first though. School ends for me in two weeks, so expect more updates over the summer. Along with that, I have a final (somehow just one out of my six classes) that's coming up soon, plus I elected to take P.E. over the summer, because it sucks to take it during school in my opinion. Once this chapter goes live, I'm also going to go back into some previous chapters and change a few details that have been bugging me. And I just wanna say one last thing: One of the first stories I read on FanFiction when I discovered the site in December of 2012 was entitled "To Be With You", written be wateranglepheonix, who happens to be one of my usual reviewers. Interesting coincidence and I have no clue how that happened in all honesty. Anyway, enough of my blabbering and on with what you came here to read, the story!

* * *

As everyone was sitting in the main cabin of the Enterprise, they heard an unusual sound. Well, unusual for that location and time of day, as everybody quickly identified it as helicopter. Brock then rushed everybody up on deck, including the still tied-up Team Rocket trio.

Once on deck, the helicopter wasn't far off the starboard (right side of the ship) bow, and quickly decelerated it's airspeed into a near hover, just barely inching its way towards the deck. A rope was then thrown out each side of the opened compartment, and two figures dressed in all black combat gear fast-roped to the deck. Even dense Ash knew who those two figures were.

But before anybody could speak up, a Raichu appeared at the side of the helicopter and dropped down two large steel crates. Both landed on deck safe and sound, without doing any damage to the deck of the ship. The two figures then ushered over the captive Team Rocket members, and quickly attached a harness to them. In a matter of seconds, the trio were onboard the helicopter. The compartment doors then closed and the helicopter quickly gained altitude as it flew off in a northern direction. Once out of sight, Brock finally was able to ask his question.

"What the hell did you two do? And who in their right minds would help a couple of dangerous psychopaths like you two?"

"Watch what you're saying Brock; this is still my ship." Justin said, while removing his skull balaclava. "And who else would help us but another American?"

"What do you mean "another American?" Brock replied.

"The Lightning American, to be more exact." Nick replied, having joined the conversation.

"Wait… do you mean…" Ash started.

"Lieutenant Surge?" Misty finished. May and Dawn both gave of a barely audible giggle at how they finished each other's sentences.

"Yes, Lieutenant

Flashback: 80 Minutes Earlier…

Justin and Nick had landed on the roof of Goodwill Management's headquarters without setting off any alarms. Latios was returned to his pokeball and given a job well done by Justin. They quickly began getting their gear out of their combat packs, but kept a close eye on the door that lead to a maintenance staircase. While surveying the rooftop, they noticed a loudspeaker with an exposed wiring panel, and decided to have a little fun.

"Hudson, check your 3 o'clock."

"All I see is a loudspeaker, so what's the big deal?"

"You remember Apocalypse Now? Mainly what they did with their Hueys?"

"You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you…."

"We're meeting the "Devil" today, may as well give him some sympathy."

"You did not just make that pun….."

"I did, so get some wire cutters. It's time to show this mobster some culture."

"I can't believe I'm going along with this…"


End file.
